The Divine Mercy

 

 Most of us are aware that Our Lady has appeared many times over the past 200 years in places such as Lourdes and Fatima. What we may not be aware of is that, over that same period of time, Jesus has also appeared.

 One of his recent appearances took place less than one hundred years ago in Poland to a young woman named Faustina Kowalska. Between 1931 and 1938, Jesus revealed to her that she was chosen to spread the message of His Divine Mercy. He wanted her to tell the whole world how great His love was for mankind and that if we would only turn to Him we would experience forgiveness and limitless blessings. At the urging of her superiors and spiritual director, Sister Faustina kept a diary of her conversations with our Lord. They are available in a book entitled, Divine Mercy in My Soul.

 In one appearance, Jesus asked that the Sunday after Easter be celebrated as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” It would be a blessed day when sinners would find relief from their transgressions and grace to live holy lives. Jesus describes this feast to Sister Faustina in these words recorded in her diary: “On the day of my feast, the feast of mercy, you will go through the world and bring fainting souls to the spring of my mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.”

And so, on April 30, 2000, Saint John Paul II honored our Lord’s request by declaring that the first Sunday after Easter be celebrated by the whole Church as Divine Mercy Sunday.

 We often hear people say, “If I walked into church, the ceiling would cave in.” There is nothing sadder that a person can say. It shows a total lack of trust in Jesus and His mercy. Jesus came to save sinners. He died on the cross so that all of us could find forgiveness. There is no sin so great that God cannot forgive it. And no one is so sinful that they cannot turn to Jesus and through His grace become a great saint. Jesus said as much to us through Sister Faustina when He said: “The greater the sinner, the more right he has to my mercy.

Every Sunday Is Easter

 

Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning. Every Sunday since, believers have gathered to celebrate and re-live the joy of the resurrection. In fact, not one Sunday has passed since that day without Christians somewhere in the world getting together to read the Scriptures and break the bread of Eucharist. The resurrection is the center of our Sunday worship and gives meaning to what we do together.

 Every Mass is meant to be not only a commemoration of that first Easter Sunday but an experience of what heaven will be like. Every Sunday, Christians gather around the table of the Lord to hear His voice just as the disciples did. The Risen Lord speaks directly to us in the Scripture. He calls out to us to follow Him, to live as He did and to experience the joy that comes from giving ourselves over to Him.

 We also gather around the Lord’s table to share a meal with Him. He gives His Body and Blood to us in the form of bread and wine so that His Risen life can be ours. He gives Himself to nourish us. Every Sunday we not only remember the resurrection but we experience it for ourselves in a hidden way.

 We also experience the presence of the Risen Lord in the community that gathers for worship. At every Mass, the presence of Christ is palpable in the joy that fills the church, especially on Easter. Every Sunday may not be as festive as Easter is, however we still experience our Lord alive in the people who surround us.

 If we were to take a second to look around us, we would notice that the assembly at Mass is unlike any other we take part in. For the most part, we cannot tell who is wealthy and who is poor. There are no special seats for dignitaries or business leaders. In this place the poor sit next to the rich and the sinner rubs elbows with the saint. It is a foretaste of the life God wants for us in which the distinctions that normally separate us from one another melt away and we can experience real communion with others no matter how different from us they may be. We experience the longing of our hearts to be loved as we are and to be free to love others in return. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was the first step in a long journey of bringing all people together in faith, hope and love.

Signs of Resurrection Are All Around Us

 

Sunday’s gospel tells the story of that first Easter morning.

Mary Magdalene discovers that Jesus is no longer in the tomb. Her first reaction isn’t joy. Rather, she feels confused and distressed. We hear the pain in her voice as she tells Peter, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.

We will see this theme throughout the Easter Season. The signs of new life and resurrection are all around the disciples, but they cannot recognize it. They are too focused on their trauma and despair. In many cases, even when Jesus appears to them personally, they don’t know that it’s Him. They have to have it spelled out to them before they can understand and believe.

 The same is true for us. The signs of Jesus’ resurrection are all around us. It is in the Church He established which has endured despite violent persecution. It is in hearts that choose forgiveness and love over revenge and hate. It is in the progress we make through faith and grace to overcome our sinfulness and grow in holiness. It is in sinners who realize God’s mercy and embrace His love. Jesus is alive. He is present and active in our world. If we believe it, we will see it.

That is not to say that there is not much suffering in our world. It is all around us. But it is precisely in this that we make our faith known. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can say that suffering, sin, and death will not have the last word. Rather, all of history is building up to the day when God’s victory will be revealed. We are all on a journey to a bright and glorious future when we can say with Saint Paul, “I believe that the sufferings of the present are as nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18). It has all been set in motion by Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead. 

 We are active participants in this victory. It is up to us to proclaim it to the world. It is up to us to live it in our homes and in our communities.

The Resurrection - Today

 

 How do we experience the Resurrection of Jesus for ourselves today?

 First of all, we experience the Resurrection in our lives by the forgiveness of our sins. 

Saint Peter teaches us in Sunday’s first reading that “...everyone who believes in [Jesus] has forgiveness of sins through His name.” All of us have experienced the shame, discouragement and suffering that come with sin. We have made bad choices and brought pain into the lives of others. With the Resurrection of Jesus, there is hope for us. We can be forgiven. He has taken upon Himself all our sinfulness. We can put our weakness, sin and guilt into His hands and be assured that He will erase it from our conscience through the blood He spilled for us on the cross and the new life He holds out to us in His Resurrection. Jesus, risen from the dead, has conquered sin and offers all of us who turn to Him with real sorrow in our hearts the gift of forgiveness

 Secondly, we experience the Resurrection in our lives through hope in everlasting life.

As believers in Christ, we no longer need to fear death. It is not the last word on our lives. Rather, because Jesus conquered death, we can be assured of everlasting life if we believe in Him and follow His commandments. Death now is the means by which we enter the inheritance that is ours as sons and daughters of God

 Finally, we experience the Resurrection in our lives through the good works we perform for others.

  It is natural for us to put ourselves and our needs before others. We fear that if we do not watch out for ourselves, no one else will. However, through the power of Jesus’ Resurrection, we receive power to overcome our selfishness and pride. As we ponder all that He did to save us, we cannot but be filled with the love of God. And that love energizes us to serve others through works of mercy. We put aside our own needs trusting that God will meet them for us and so are open to the work of the Spirit within us calling us to feed the hungry, to visit prisoners and to pray for the needy. All this is a result of the new life that flows into our hearts because of Jesus’ victory over sin

Easter Mysteries Of The Rosary

 

The First Mystery 
JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE 
 For the virtue of charity

The Second Mystery

JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS 

 For the virtue of love of Scripture

The Third Mystery

 JESUS  APPEARS TO THE APOSTLES

 For the virtue of fear of the Lord

The Fourth Mystery

 JESUS APPEARS TO THOMAS 

 For the virtue of faith

The Fifth Mystery

 JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 

 For the virtue of accepting the forgiveness of Jesus 

A World Transformed By The Resurrection Of Jesus

 

 There is no celebration like the liturgy we celebrate at the Easter Vigil. 

The Church pulls out all the stops- fire, candles, water, incense, extra readings, special songs. All of it is meant to capture the grandeur, the might and the joy of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The evening starts with a darkened church. It is meant to symbolize the ignorance of sin and the hopelessness of a world without God. 

One candle enters the church giving a small glimmer of hope. And, finally, as we light our individual candles from the Easter candle, the whole church is flooded with light. Christ's resurrection has scattered the darkness of ignorance, of fear and of sin. We no longer have to grope around in the darkness not knowing where to find meaning or truth or love. 

There is now no doubt. In the light of His resurrection, we have found our meaning, our truth and our love in Christ.

 How do we tap into the power of Jesus' resurrection so that His new life can be real and active in our lives?

 It is already ours through our baptism. 

Our baptism seals us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of the gift of faith.

 Like most elements of our faith, baptism has its roots in the experience of the people of Israel. To escape slavery in Egypt, God parted the Red Sea for his People. And, after forty years in the desert, the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River to enter the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. The waters, then, came to symbolize the passage from enslavement to new life in the promised land. John the Baptist chose the Jordan River and the symbol of baptism as a means of preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. Jesus himself chose to undergo John's baptism and commanded his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The faith, the new life and the power of Jesus' resurrection are ours 2000 years later because of baptism.

Most of us were babies when we were baptized. Our parents and godparents made a profession of faith on our behalf and committed themselves to raising us to know and love Jesus. 

But, at the Easter Vigil, we have an opportunity to renew the promises of our baptism. We reject sin and embrace the new life offered to us through faith in the resurrection of Jesus. We make our own the promises made for us at our baptism so that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ can be the driving force of our lives. 

Can I Be Christian Without The Church?

Can I be Christian without the Church?

We often hear people say  that they can follow Jesus without being part of a church. They claim that they are fed more by taking a walk in the woods than by going to worship services. Others say that all they need is the Bible to help them pray and teach them about Jesus.

Of course, we can get a sense of God’s grandeur and beauty through nature and there is much to learn about Jesus by reading the Bible at home. However, that does not mean that we do not need the Church.

Consider this. How would the world know about Jesus if Christians did not spread the good news of His death and resurrection? In fact, we would not even have a Bible unless believers like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John sat down and wrote it. Also, the Bible has survived down through the centuries because, before the printing press was invented, many followers of Jesus meticulously copied it by hand so that it would be available for others to read. Without a doubt, if there were no Church, there would be no Bible. And, if there were no Church, we would not know about Jesus.

Furthermore, the Bible itself teaches us that we need the Church. Jesus makes it very clear that He is establishing the Church when He says to Peter, “You are rock and on this rock I will build my Church…” (Mt 16:18). It is also clear in Scripture that Jesus gave His authority to teach and to celebrate the sacraments to His apostles and that He intended them to give that authority to others.

We see that in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter gathers the disciples together and explains that they need to find a replacement for Judas. In doing so, he quotes from Psalm 109 - “May another take his office.” Interestingly, the Greek word that is translated as “office” is the same Greek word that is used for “bishop”. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, the apostles handed on their authority to other men who then handed it on to other men, and so on down to the present day. That is why we call bishops “successors of the apostles” because they have received the authority to teach and celebrate the sacraments which Jesus handed on to the apostles so that His Church can be built up through the centuries.

The Bible teaches us not only that Jesus established the Church but that He loves the Church. In fact, Saint Paul compares the relationship of Jesus to the Church to the relationship of a married couple. When teaching about how married couples should love one another, he writes: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). If Jesus loved the Church, we should love the Church as well.

We should also love the Church because,  through her, we receive everything we need for our salvation.

We have already mentioned how the Bible came to us through the Church. But it is also only through the Church that we receive the sacraments which nurture our faith, hope and love. Without the Church, there would be no baptism, which initiates us into the life of grace. Without the Church, we would not be able to receive communion which Jesus gave us at the Last Supper when He commanded the apostles, “Do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19). There is no other way to receive the graces that come from these sacraments than through the Church. No matter how many walks in the woods we take or how many hours we spend praying at home, we can never have the same real and life-transforming encounter with Christ that we experience through the sacraments.

There are also many reasons to be proud of our Church. No other institution feeds as many hungry people, shelters as many poor people or educates as many children as the Catholic Church. Down through the ages, she has stood up for the weak and the vulnerable against the powerful who would exploit them. She has survived many tyrannical and oppressive governments which have sought to destroy her. As Catholics, we should learn about our history, about the great women and men of faith who have witnessed to the love of God and about the great events that shaped who we are as the People of God. In particular, we should learn the truth behind events such as the Crusades and the Inquisition which people often refer to when they want to sully the Church’s reputation. Though Catholics have not always been perfect, there is still much for us to be proud of.

Another claim that we often hear is that all religions are equal and that it doesn’t matter which Church you belong to. How should we respond to those claims?

Because religions have different and contradictory doctrines, they can’t all be true. For instance, some religions teach that Jesus is the Son of God and other religions deny that. Obviously, they cannot all be right. And, if some of them are wrong about Jesus, then they cannot all be true. Doesn’t it make sense that we want to belong to the Church that teaches the truth about Jesus? Does such a Church exist?

We can answer that question by looking at the Bible. Jesus says clearly that he will establish His Church on Peter. There is only one Church which claims to be the one that Jesus founded on Saint Peter. That is the Catholic Church. And, if I cannot follow Jesus without belonging to a Church, doesn’t it make sense that I should belong to the one that makes the strongest claim to being the one He founded?

Pope Francis said recently, “We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with His living presence in and among us, can we put into practice His commandment, and thus be His credible witnesses.” The Church is God’s gift to us to make sure that we have everything we need for our journey to heaven. We cannot be true followers of Jesus, then,  unless we make that journey with others in the Church that Jesus established - the Catholic Church.

One In Christ

                                                                                                             

Some of the world’s problems are so immense that we wonder how individuals like us can make a difference. Issues like poverty and racism are so deeply ingrained that we doubt that any one of us can make a lasting change in the culture. The sheer enormity of these dilemmas can tempt us to throw our hands up and become indifferent to the struggles of our brothers and sisters around the world.

One such problem that has been with us for centuries is the disunity among Christians. For many complex historical reasons, Christians have split into thousands of denominations, each pursuing  its own understanding of what Jesus taught. The situation is nothing short of tragic. Not only has it caused confusion about the Christian message, it also has weakened our witness to the world of what Jesus taught. If instead of loving one another we are bickering and fighting, then how can anyone believe the truth of what we profess?

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is praying for unity among His disciples. He prays “...that they may be one…” His intention is that all those who are baptized and claim Him as their Lord and Savior not only profess one belief but also live in loving communion with one another. Sadly, we have let Jesus down. We are not one in belief, one in practice or one in love as Jesus prayed we would be.

What can we do about it? Are the divisions too deep for any one of us to overcome them? Are the wounds too painful for any one of us to heal them? Perhaps. However, we can take steps to repair what has been broken. The disunity among Christians is the result of thousands of individual acts of disrespect, misunderstanding and even violence. Our return to unity will only come about through thousands more acts of respect, mutual understanding and forgiveness. We cannot change history but we can change ourselves. And history shows that changes in attitude and behavior can make all the difference.

What steps can we begin to take today to make Jesus’ prayer that we be one a reality?

The first step is to acknowledge the harm that all Christians, including Catholics, have caused and ask for forgiveness, first from God and then from other Christians when appropriate. Many times when we share about our faith others will bring up the usual litany of wrongs committed by the Church over the centuries. Even though they often misunderstand or exaggerate the harm that was caused, we should not become defensive. Rather we should simply acknowledge that injustices were committed and ask the person we are speaking to for forgiveness. Such an attitude will go a long way toward healing the divisions among us.

The next step would be to be careful about the way we talk about people who do not share our faith. It goes without saying that any slurs against them are absolutely inappropriate and sinful. Even though they may differ from us in their understanding of Scripture or the way they celebrate their faith, we should always speak respectfully of their traditions. When we are called upon to defend our Catholic faith, we should never speak down to others as if we have all the answers. We should always avoid coming off as aggressive, arrogant or offensive. Remember it is often unlikely that we will convert anyone solely by our intellectual arguments in favor of our faith. However, we can change attitudes, create friendships and also learn from one another. Even if we continue to have different beliefs and practices,  we can achieve closer unity through friendship and mutual respect.

Another step we can take is to follow Jesus’ example and pray. Ultimately, Christian unity is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is He who opens minds to the truth of the gospel message. It is He who inspires our hearts with a desire for communion not only with God but with one another. It is He who breaks down the walls of division and discord between people. Prayer makes a difference. We may not always see the results but our faith assures us that all things are possible for those who believe.

The final and perhaps most important step is for each of us to look within ourselves and resolve to live the gospel of love. The more each of us is like Christ in our attitudes and behaviors the closer we will become to one another. It is love that creates unity and peace. If we are more loving, then there will be more unity and peace in the world and among Christians. This is where the Sacrament of Confession can really help us. By working to root out sin in our lives through the power of God’s grace, we become more effective instruments of His peace.

We constantly look to Jesus to answer our prayers. This is one way in which we can return the favor and answer His prayer by working for unity not only among Christians but among all people of good will. The task can seem insurmountable. However, each one of us through the power of the Holy Spirit can make a difference by seeking forgiveness when it is appropriate, speaking respectfully of one another, praying for unity and changing our hearts to make them more like Jesus.

We call the sacrament we are about to receive “Holy Communion” because it unites us not only to God but to one another. Like all sacraments, it actually achieves what it signifies. It creates unity among us. As we receive, let us ask God to open our hearts to the action of His Spirit so that we can become instruments of His peace in this world until we reach the fullness of union with Him and one another in the Kingdom of Heaven.

BREAKING NEWS - God's Plan Is Better Than Yours

Whenever we take on a big project, we have to put some contingency plans in place. If everything works out perfectly, if everyone shows up and does their job, then we can implement Plan A. If, however, someone calls out sick or the computer system is down, we have to settle for Plan B. Plan A is always the best case scenario when everything functions smoothly. Plan B is not as good as Plan A, but will take effect just in case something goes wrong.

Because He is infinitely creative, God has a different way of implementing His big project of salvation. For God, when Plan A fails to work because of human sinfulness and weakness, his Plan B is not an inferior fall back. Rather, Plan B turns out to be even more wondrous than Plan A. In fact, even God's Plan Z is superior to his Plan A. God does not suffer setbacks in the working out of His plan to reconcile all things in Christ.

We see this illustrated in the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In the first reading from the book of Acts, Peter mentions Judas' betrayal of Jesus. No doubt Jesus' Plan A for Judas was that he, like the other apostles, be a witness to His resurrection and work to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth. But Judas, in his weakness, falls prey to doubt and greed. Then God's Plan B went into effect. Judas would now become instrumental in Jesus' death for the salvation of the world. This by no means makes Judas a hero. Rather, it shows that God's plan is fulfilled despite human sin and weakness.

The whole history of salvation can be understood in this light. At the Easter Vigil, during the Exultet, we rejoice in the "happy fault" of Adam because it sets in motion the plan of salvation in Christ. Without Adam's fall, we would have no need of a savior. God has willed from the beginning that human beings cooperate with Him in the spreading of the kingdom. Our human weakness does not frustrate or hamper God's will. On the contrary, in some mysterious way, it actually advances that will. God maintains control all the while. Jesus made this clear throughout His passion when He let it be known that His life was not being taken from Him, but that He was freely laying it down. Similarly, both Peter in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel state that Judas was "destined" to betray Jesus because His actions had already been mysteriously accounted for in God's saving plan.

This is important for us to keep in mind today. As individuals and as a Church, we will be continually beset by difficulties and challenges. We will fail, and sometimes dramatically to the point of scandal. In the eyes of the world, we are on the brink of collapse and irrelevance. Yet God's plan of salvation is mysteriously working itself out in our lives and in our world. The gospel is being handed on to a new generation of witnesses. Minds and hearts are converted to the truth. The sick and the poor are being comforted. God is dwelling among His people through love. This does not mean that we may grow complacent about our sinfulness or about our Church's constant need for reform. Instead it means that we pray and work with the confidence that God has everything under control.

This is developed even further in the gospel reading. Through his prayer, Jesus gives His disciples a peak into His intimate relationship with the Father. Jesus wants them to know that He has been protecting them and will continue to do so even after He is gone from this world. This text has been called Jesus' "high priestly prayer" because it shows us that He is constantly interceding to the Father on behalf of His people. While we tend to picture Jesus as the one who receives our prayers, we do not often focus on Him as one who prays for us. Yet that is precisely what He does, offering Himself continually to the Father on our behalf. What confidence it should give us to know that the Son of God Himself is supporting us in prayer!

In the course of the prayer, Jesus asks that His disciples be protected from the evil one while they remain in the world. Throughout his gospel, John uses the term "world" to describe all the forces opposed to God and His will. In our day, we would identify these forces as those, among others, who exploit the poor, corrupt the young with a materialistic worldview or promote the objectification of women. In our struggle against evil, we can often feel overwhelmed by their vast influence and resources.  But when we consider the sovereignty of God's will and the power of our Savior's intercession, we realize that no matter how dire it may look, it really is not even a fair fight! Even when we appear to fail, God's kingdom mysteriously advances as we are equipped with the Spirit of Truth. 

And so our approach to this world is not one of hatred or defiant opposition, but love. If God can make good come from our failings and weaknesses, he can also demonstrate His power and sovereignty through those who do not recognize him.

Furthermore, it was for this world that Jesus came, not to condemn it but to save it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that before we can hope to change people, we must love them; and they must know that we love them. The second reading reminds us that if we have experienced God's love by way of forgiveness and mercy, then we must show love to others. When we love, God dwells in us, and the invisible God is then seen in us. And was that not God's Plan A to begin with - that His image be perfected in us through love?  

In Anticipation Of The Holy Spirit

These ten days between our celebration of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven and of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles and Mary, are days of expectant prayer. We ask God to send his Holy Spirit anew upon his people so that we may be re-energized in our faith and given new power to spread the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection to all the world.

The Holy Spirit is the life-breath of the Church. Through the Holy Spirit we are given the power to follow Jesus' example and live the good news.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit is called the forgotten member of the Trinity. We are very comfortable bringing our prayers and worship to God the Father and to Jesus. But the Holy Spirit is often overlooked although it is through him that we are even able to pray at all.

And so as we spend these days asking God to pour out his Spirit upon us anew, let us look at the readings which the Church offers us this day and ask the question, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" As we reflect on the Scriptures set before us, we see that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth, of unity and of love.

First of all, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. He reveals to us the truth about God and his love. The Holy Spirit is given to us to speak to our minds and hearts about what God requires of us. 

Today's gospel reading from Saint John shows us Jesus in prayer for his disciples and for those who would believe because of their testimony. At the end of the prayer, he asks that they be consecrated in the truth and says that God's word is truth. The truth about who God is and what his plan of salvation is can be found in his Word, the Bible. We believe that the Bible was written by men, but that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to such a degree that God can truly be considered its author. Therefore, we find in the Bible a sure pathway to understanding who God is and how much he loves us. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts guides us so that as we read the Bible we are able to grow in our understanding of it and in our ability to apply it to our lives. Spending time in prayer reading the Bible is indispensable to the life of every follower of Jesus if we are to be consecrated in the truth by the Holy Spirit. 

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Unity. He gathers together people of different languages, ethnic backgrounds and abilities into one Church which extends itself throughout every century into every nation.

Again, in the gospel reading, Jesus begins his prayer for his disciples by asking that they be one as he is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The followers of Jesus are not meant to be a bunch of individuals scattered about the world doing their own thing. Rather we are meant to work together and to worship together. The closer we get to Jesus and the more his Spirit takes up residence in our souls, the closer we become to one another. Nowhere else is this more evident than when the Church gathers to worship on Sunday. All of us here are very different people. We would have no other reason to be gathered here together except for the faith we share in Jesus and in his presence in the Holy Eucharist. What's more, we are not alone. Throughout our country and throughout the world, people are gathering to worship with the same words and reflecting on the same readings we have pondered today. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Unity, makes this possible.

Finally, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love. Because he is God, the Holy Spirit is love itself. When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we come to experience the unconditional love the Father has for us and are empowered to show that love to others.

Today's second reading from the first letter of Saint John teaches us that, when we love, God dwells within us. When we show love, the invisible God who is love itself is then made visible to the world. As Saint John tells us, "No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us." This love is not merely having warm feelings for others. It is a love that shows itself in action by forgiving those who wrong us, by visiting the sick, by instructing those in error, by witnessing to the power and presence of God in our lives to those who are lost and by putting aside our own comforts to wash the feet of others. It is the love that Jesus showed by offering himself to us on the cross. It is not a love which we can show by our own human power. It is only possible by the Spirit of love who dwells within us.

The Holy Spirit we worship is a Spirit of truth, of unity and of love. We know that we are drawing closer to God when those three characteristics of his Spirit are growing in our lives. So as we approach the feast of Pentecost, let us focus our prayers more on the third person of the Blessed Trinity. Let us bring him our worship and adoration. Let us ask him to make his home within us and reveal to us the truth of God's burning love for us. Let us ask him to set our hearts aflame with love for God and for one another so that we may be renewed as his People and bring the good news to all the world.

Love Saves A Life

Late one evening, a  priest got a call from the local fire department asking for his help. A young woman had climbed up onto the top of a bridge and was threatening to jump off. Despite all their efforts, they had not been able to convince her to come down. With no other options, they were hoping he could help.

The priest rushed to the scene as quickly as he could and looked up to see the young woman sitting at the top of the bridge just as the fireman had said. Since she was so high up, it was clear that the only way he was going to be able to talk to her would be to climb up onto the bridge himself. There was only one problem. He was deathly afraid of heights. At the same time, he knew he couldn’t just stand there while the young woman took her own life.

So, saying a quick Hail Mary and summoning all the courage he could, he put his hands on the cables and started to climb up the beam, putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to look down.

However, the higher he got the more the wind picked up and the less steady he felt on his feet. Soon, panic set in and he broke into a cold sweat. Paralyzed with fear, he didn’t think he could take another step.

About that time, the young woman caught sight of the priest and her heart was moved. Seeing how terrified he was, she called out, “It’s okay, Father. You’re almost here. You can do it.”

Encouraged by the young woman’s words, the priest decided he would keep his eyes on her and make his way slowly up the beam. Soon he was close enough to her that she could take his hand and help him steady himself enough to sit down next to her.

He took a minute to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his face and neck. As his heart rate returned to normal, he knew he should probably talk to the young woman to find out why she wanted to take her own life. But the only thing he could think to say was, “How are we ever going to get down from here?”

To his surprise, she turned to him and said, “Don’t worry, Father. I’ll help you climb down when you’re ready.”

And so, the young woman got up and took the priest’s hand. Walking slightly ahead of him, she guided him down the beam helping him to steady himself until they both were at the bottom of the bridge and safe. Once on the ground, the fire fighters came and wrapped them both in blankets and gave them coffee.

As the priest started to return to his car, a fireman pulled him aside and asked, “What did you say to her, Father, to make her climb down the bridge with you?” The priest replied, “She saved my life.”

This story illustrates for us the power of love. Seeing the young priest’s act of courage and love made the young woman forget whatever it was that had compelled her to attempt suicide. Knowing that someone cared enough about her to risk his life to save her made all the difference. The priest didn’t really have to say a word to her. By his actions he showed her that she was cared for, she was valuable and she was important. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, she came to understand that her life mattered even to someone she had never met before. In the heroic actions of that priest who faced his fear and risked his own safety to save her, she saw the love of God. That glimpse of God’s love was enough to give her hope to continue living.

This is the love that Saint John speaks about in today’s second reading,  “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” How can we know what love is unless someone shows it to us? How can we know the love of a God we have never seen before? We see it by looking at the cross. The God we rejected, the God we disobeyed, the God we have fled from has loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. In that cross, we see God’s love and so find hope to continue living.

It is not enough to witness that love, however. We must also accept it and respond to it. When the young woman saw the priest coming up to her on the bridge, she could have had a different reaction. She could have told him to go away and leave her alone. She could have decided to jump off the bridge anyway. However, seeing his love and courage, she decided to respond with love. Since he was willing to risk his safety for her, she wanted to return the favor by helping him get down from the bridge. She wanted to show him love in return for his love.

The same is true for us. We can look upon the cross and decide  to reject God’s love. We can decide not to respond and, instead, keep on living only for ourselves. We can decide not to share His love with others. We can decide to make our own choices about what’s right and wrong rather than live by God’s commandments. However, such an attitude will only leave us isolated and alone. We will eventually find ourselves like that young woman at the top of the bridge - alone with little hope and few options.

Jesus shows us another way. He tells us in today’s gospel, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” The way to respond to the love God shows us in Jesus is by obeying His word. And His greatest commandment is that we love one another. We know that we have accepted and welcomed His love into our hearts if we are showing love to others, especially when it is difficult, when it requires facing our fears and when we are faced with rejection.

But what a difference it makes when we choose love! It literally saves lives!

(story taken from Sister Bethany Madonna, “Desires of the Heart: Receiving the Gifts of the Father”, Lighthouse Talks, Augustine Institute)

More On Love

What more can be said about love that hasn’t already been said?

Since the invention of language, love has been the inspiration of the world’s greatest poetry. When men and women first began to create musical instruments, it has been the inspiration for the world’s most beautiful melodies. For centuries, artists have celebrated love’s triumphs and mourned its losses whether on stone tablets or on movie screens.

Love is also the great theme of Jesus’ preaching and ministry. His mission was to bring God’s love to those who seemed least deserving of it - to the sinner, to the poor and to the powerless.

He came to show love to those who had only known judgment, condemnation and isolation. His central message was that no one lies outside the reach of God’s unconditional love. Like the love of a mother, God’s love for us never grows weary and never ends. Our Heavenly Father never reaches a point at which He gives up on us. Rather, the more we try to run away from Him, the more urgently He pursues us.

God’s love for us shows itself most strikingly in Jesus’ death on the cross. The cross is our Heavenly Father’s great masterpiece, the most beautiful depiction of love ever created. It shows the great lengths our lover is willing to go to win our hearts. He will hold nothing back to woo us, not even His only Son. The world has never seen so great a love as this. As Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The cross reveals to us what true love is. It is more than a warm emotion that fills us with desire for a person we find attractive. Rather it is the commitment to put the good of another person before our own. Just as Jesus put our salvation before His own comfort and security, so we are called to love others by putting their needs before our own. It is a love that reaches out not only to those who are attractive but, primarily,  to those we find repulsive, to those we find hard to love. It is a love that is not afraid to be hurt, to be made fun of or to be rejected.

Living love as Jesus revealed it to us can seem impossible. We are naturally self-centered. We want to surround ourselves with people who make us feel good about ourselves. Wouldn’t it be a waste of time to love someone who does not love me in return? Wouldn’t it be foolish for me to give my energy to help those who cannot return the favor?

It is true that,  in our natural state, it is impossible for us to love as Jesus did, to go as far as laying down our lives even for our enemies. We can only do this with the strength that comes from God. That is why Saint John tells us in today’s second reading, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us….” Only when we understand how much God has loved us can we then love our neighbor in return. Only when we understand how much He has given us can we then give to others. Only when we understand how much He has forgiven us can we then forgive those who harm us. The radical type of love that Jesus practiced which reaches even to our enemies only becomes possible for us when we grow in our awareness that He died for us even though we are the worst of sinners.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us to “remain” in His love. The word, “remain”, has deep significance in Saint John’s gospel. Sometimes it is translated as “abide” or “dwell”. It can also be translated as “rest”, “take root in”, “draw life from” or even “savor”. The image is something like meat marinating in a sauce. The flavor and the spices of the marinate seep into the meat, getting into every fiber. Just so, by remaining in Jesus, His love begins to penetrate our very being, tenderizing our hard hearts. Just as the meat takes on the flavor of  the marinate, so we being to take on the virtues of Jesus’ loving heart.

How do we remain in His love so that it can penetrate our very being? Jesus tells us, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” God’s commandments teach us what it means to love one another. They are given not to hold us back but to give us wings to fly. All God’s gifts are good, including His law. When I keep His word, I am learning how to not live a self-centered life which makes me freer to put others needs ahead of my own without feeling resentful. And, off course, the greatest commandment is love.

We can begin today. Whenever we meet someone, we should ask ourselves, “How can I show love to this person right now.” Then let the Holy Spirit inspire us with kind words, thoughtful gestures or maybe just a caring smile that will let the other person know that we recognize the image and likeness of God in them. Once we experience the joy of stepping outside of our comfort zone and reaching out in love to others, it will become easier and easier each time to practice kindness and mercy. In doing so, God will become even more real for us because we will be discovering how to find Him in other people. And we will discover that happiness is to be found not so much in receiving love as in giving it away. Then our joy will be complete.

The Vocation To Love

Saint Therese of Lisieux was only a teenager when she entered the convent to dedicate herself to a life of prayer as a religious sister. Like all young girls, she was unsure of her talents and how she should serve God and others. All around her were nuns who had musical talents, who were artists or who were strong leaders and she wondered what her special gift was.

As she prayed and read the Bible she came upon this passage from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “Set your desires on the greater gifts. And I will now show you the way which surpasses all others.... If I have not love, then I am nothing.” (1 Cor 12:31 - 13:3). She came to realize that love was her special calling. By loving God and others she could accomplish more for the Kingdom of Heaven than any gift or special talent could.

In her autobiography, The Diary of a Soul, she writes this about her insight:

Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed:

O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my calling is love.

Certainly I have found my proper place in the Church, and you gave

me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I

will be love....

Love is the supreme calling of all Christians. No matter what our state in life, no matter what resources or talents we have, we are all called to love. Not all of us can preach or teach. Not all of us can feed the poor or visit prisoners. Not all of us can travel to mission countries to convert souls. But all of us can and must love.

Love is the greatest witness of the Christian life. No matter how eloquent our preaching may be, no matter how passionate our defense of the Catholic faith may be, no matter how selfless our service to others may be, it is the love we show in doing all these things that speaks to others about the beauty and truth of the Christian message. It was Jesus’ love more than anything else that drew others to him and it was the love that His first disciples showed for one another that built up the Church after His ascension. In the same way it will be our example of untiring, selfless love that will continue to reform, renew and build up the Church in our day.

When we speak about Christian love we have to be careful. It is something very different from love as it is understood in our world today. Jesus makes that clear in today’s gospel reading. The love that we are called to is not just warm, affectionate feelings for our family members and friends. Rather it is a love that puts the needs of others before our own. It is a love that is willing to sacrifice our own comfort to comfort others. It is a love that is willing to forgive those who hurt us, to give to others even when they take it for granted and to serve those who do not appreciate our efforts.

Jesus tells His disciples and us that He has given us a new commandment, that we should love one another and that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life. It is the example of love He showed by dying on the cross for sinners. It is the example of love He shows daily to us by pouring out blessing upon blessing on us even though we so often take it for granted or reject it by our sins.

The love that Jesus calls us to is not something that is natural for us. We tend only to show love to those who we know will love us back. In our everyday decisions, we put our interests and concerns before those of others. Out of politeness or concern about what people may think, we might lend a hand to others but only if we have free time and if it does not put us out too much.

To love as Jesus commands us to, we need His help. We need grace. That is why Saint John tells us in the second reading that love consists in this - not that we have loved God but that He has loved us. When we realize how great God’s unconditional love is for us, we will begin showing that same love to others. When we realize how much He has forgiven us, it will be impossible for us not to forgive those who hurt us. When we realize that everything we have comes from Him, it will be impossible for us not to share with the needy. And as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, it will be impossible for us not to share the good news of that love.

Imagine if all of us who claim to be followers of Christ really lived the commandment of love He left us. Imagine a world in which no one would go hungry or be cold. Imagine a world in which no one would be lonely. Imagine a world free of revenge, hatred and violence. That is the world that God wants to build through us if only we will let His love truly transform us.

However, we cannot begin to change the world until our hearts are changed. That is why we gather here today - not only to hear a message of love but to experience that love in Jesus who is present to us. He gives us His very Body and Blood to teach us how to give ourselves in service to one another. All our hearts are wounded. We have tried to love others but have been hurt. We have given of ourselves but have been let down. Now fear and shame keep us from opening our heart to God and others. We can find healing by bringing all that pain to God who promises never to reject us. He can take our cold, stony hearts and give us hearts that are capable of loving again. Then our transformation and that of our world can begin.

The God Of Faith And Reason

God is known by many titles. Philosophers call God "the Supreme Being" and "the Unmoved Mover." Some know God as Creator, the origin of the universe with all its wonders. Those who are struggling to overcome addictions describe God as a "higher power".

However, we who believe that Jesus is the Son of God know him under a different name. In Jesus, God has revealed himself to be Love.

This love has manifested itself in the person of Jesus. He teaches us that the God we worship is not a distant God who looks on the world from afar. Rather he knows each of us by name. He cares for us and sustains us in being. No matter how many times we reject him or push him away, he continues to shower us with his blessings.

The greatest manifestation of his love, however, is that he sent his Son to die for us. Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserve for our sins so that we could have an active friendship with this God of love. There is no doubt about the truth of the words we hear in today's gospel when Jesus says: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for ones friends." And it is in just this way - by laying down his life for us - that Jesus has shown us the greatness of his love stemming from the love of the Father.

Jesus does not stop there, however. He goes on to say that we are to love one another just as he has loved us. It is not enough for us to simply acknowledge or even rejoice in the immense love of God revealed to us in Jesus. We are to imitate that love ourselves by laying down our lives for one another.

While we might think that such a love is too much to ask or impossible for God to expect from us, examples of heroic acts of generosity and forgiveness happen everyday through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.

One example of just such a love took place several years ago in California.

Two young men decided to have a drag race down a stretch of road. As they careened down the street at a speed well over 100 miles per hour, a woman with her young daughter in the car turned on to the road. Her car was struck head on by one of the young men, and she and her daughter were killed instantly. The young man was also injured in the crash, but recovered within a few days. He was eventually arrested, convicted and sent to prison.

The woman's husband was distraught at the news of the death of his wife and daughter. He was understandably filled with hatred for the young man who so foolishly and needlessly took the lives of the people most important to him.

However, his rage soon began to consume him. He isolated himself from his family and friends and began drinking heavily. At night, he couldn't get to sleep because the image of the wreckage was constantly on his mind. It was all he could do to continue functioning at his work.

Eventually, he began to realize that his anger toward the young man who killed his wife and daughter was eating him up in side and that the only way to get his life back was to find a way to forgive him. He knew that he couldn't forgive him on his own, and so he got down on his knees and begged God to help him.

It wasn't easy, but the man began to experience his heart changing. He even found it within himself to visit the young man in prison. Through it all, he came to see that the person who killed his wife and daughter himself had a family and friends who loved him. He was not just some nameless punk, but a good kid who did a very stupid thing with tragic results. Unbelievably, the man found himself later showing up at the young man's parole hearing to speak on his behalf.

He found that he was given the power by God to not only forgive this man but to actually love him.  

Before we jump to the conclusion that the young man did not deserve to be forgiven or that forgiveness of someone who has hurt us that deeply is too much to ask, let us remember one important fact. It is just such a love which God has revealed to us in Christ. Each of us through our sins is responsible for the death of God's only Son. Yet God has loved and forgiven us nonetheless. We are now called to do the same for each other.

Hopefully it won't take some tragic event like the death of a loved one for us to have the opportunity to show love. We can already show it in smaller ways by going out of our way to give money to a beggar, by listening to a co-worker who is having a rough day or by sitting next to that kid in the cafeteria who nobody likes. Most of the time our witness to the love of Christ will take place in such small ways as these. Nonetheless, the change it will effect both in us and in those we show love to will be great indeed!

Like the man in the story, we cannot show love, generosity and forgiveness even on a small scale without the help of God. That is why we gather here every Sunday - to be reminded of what great love the Father has bestowed on us in Christ and to celebrate that love in the gift of the Eucharist. Then we are empowered to "go in peace to serve God and love one another."

Imagine

Over the past thirty years, contemporary Christian music has become one of the fastest growing segments of the music industry and currently sells more albums than classical and jazz music.

The best selling Christian song of all time is “I Can Only Imagine” by the band MercyMe. Worldwide, it has sold over 2.5 million copies and is widely requested on both Christian and secular radio stations.

The songwriter and lead singer of MercyMe, Bart Millard, wrote the song after the death of his father in 2000. It is a moving reflection on what heaven is like and how it will be beyond anything we can imagine on earth.

The story behind the song is just as moving as the lyrics and melody themselves.

When Bart was a child, his mother abandoned the family. Distraught, his father turned to alcohol to soothe his pain. In the process, he became verbally and physically abusive to young Bart. Both the loss of his mother and the abuse he received from his father would have been enough to break the young man. However, he attended a Christian camp one summer and credits the faith he received there with giving him the strength to endure all the trials of his childhood.

For many years, Bart’s father continued in a downward spiral of alcohol dependency and abusive behavior. Then, he was shocked into reality when he discovered he had cancer. The diagnosis led him to turn to God and his life was totally transformed. Not only did he find the power to abandon his alcohol addiction but to go from an abusive man to a tender and loving father.  In the process, Bart went from resenting and fearing his father to forgiving and even admiring him.

It was that experience of the transforming power of God’s love that drove him to compose that beautiful Christian ballad with so much energy and pathos.

Both the song and the story behind it have inspired a film that debuted in theaters this month and is continuing to touch hearts and minds with the good news of God’s saving love.

Bart Millard’s story is also a moving illustration of today’s gospel.

Jesus tells His apostles that He is the true vine and they are the branches. As long as they remain in Him and allow the Father to prune them, they will bear much fruit. Apart from Him, however, they will dry up and die.

Before coming to faith in Christ, Bart’s father was like that withered branch. He sought comfort from his pain through alcohol. But that only led to frustration, causing him to lash out in abusive behavior towards others.

As human beings, we long for connection. If we are not connected to Christ, we will seek connection to something else. However, it will always lead to frustration because no one and nothing else can give us the life we need other than Jesus Christ, the true vine. Without Jesus, we will wither up. Once we come to our senses and turn back to God, we feel life beginning to return to us. Our frustration gives way to peace. Our sadness gives way to joy. It doesn’t happen overnight. Like a seed that is planted in the dark soil, it takes time for our roots to sprout and take hold. However, it will happen as long as we remain in Christ who is the source of life itself.

Jesus tells us also that the Father is the vinedresser who prunes the branches. That pruning is necessary to make sure that the minerals from the ground are delivered directly to the healthy branches. However, pruning can be painful. In the case of Bart’s father, it came in the form of devastating news about his cancer diagnosis. For others, pruning comes when they lose their job and all of a sudden have to deal with financial insecurity. We can be pruned when someone we love dies or when a relationship ends. All those painful experiences cause us to re-evaluate our lives and question where our priorities lie. At the time, the challenges we face might seem pointless. However, as we grow from those experiences, we see the good that comes from them. Then, the next time we encounter suffering, we can trust that God is directing all the events in our lives to draw good out of them, pruning us so that we can grow healthy and stronger.

Finally, Jesus tells us that, if we remain in Him, we will bear much fruit. Just consider how much fruit came from Bart Millard’s experience. His father’s transformation through faith in Christ not only changed them but inspired a song which has brought comfort and inspiration to millions of people. The same is true for us. If we remain connected to Jesus and trust the Father to prune us, we too will bear fruit that will nourish others. The impact of our faith and good works might not be immediately apparent to us. There are times when we might question what good our prayers and sacrifices are making in the world. But if we trust God and allow Him to do His work in us, we will bear fruit, we will touch others and the world will be better because of it. That is Jesus’ promise and it has been born out in the lives of billions of believers down through the centuries.

If you feel like a dried up, withered branch, turn to Jesus. He longs to share His life with you and will happily graft you back onto Himself and provide you the nourishment you need to grow. We receive that nourishment here today through the bread and wine which will become His Body and Blood. For those of us who have already given our lives to Christ but are going through a time of dryness and barrenness, let us remember that there are seasons to the spiritual life. It could be that we are passing through winter but spring will arrive for us shortly if we continue to trust God. In the end, we can only imagine what kind of harvest God will bring about through us when His Kingdom comes in its fullness and we are gathered into the glory of Heaven.