Three Days

Three Days

What can be said about the three most holy days, the Triduum, in our lives as Christians?

They must be lived and experienced in community.

As Catholics, it is the high point of our liturgical year.

On Holy Thursday,  we come together to celebrate the institution of Holy Orders (the sacrament of ordination into the priesthood) and the Eucharist "the source and summit" of our life in Jesus Christ. The theme of service and discipleship is uppermost in our minds, as the priest washes the feet of his parishioners (remember last year when Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners- what a model for us all!). We end the evening with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament  symbolizing our waiting with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Liturgy. Sacrament. Symbol. Community. Service.

On Good Friday we come together in Word and symbol, to commemorate the Passion and Death of Jesus. Notice that there is no greeting or blessing at the beginning- just as there was no final blessing at the end of Holy Thursday. The Triduum is all one liturgical celebration. On Friday we hear the Passion, venerate the Cross, and receive Communion that was reserved from Holy Thursday- again, it is all one liturgy, so we don't have "Mass" again.

Holy Saturday is a day of quite reflection and expectation. Jesus has descended to the dead, experiencing fully the reality of death and alienation from the Father. But for us, we wait as the women waited at the tomb. We wait for new life. 

And then at the Holy Saturday Vigil, we are brought together to experience our very salvation.The Blessing of the fire, the entry into the darkened Church with Paschal Candle,  and the candles we hold while the Exultet is sung, all symbolize the Light that has shone in the darkness! Through the Word, we hear the high points of our salvation history.

And we proclaim the Good News Matthew 28.1-10

 We welcome in new Catholics this night, as they are baptized, confirmed and receiving Eucharist.  

And we too experience the glory of the Risen Christ in Eucharist

Liturgy. Sacrament. Symbol. Community. Service.

This is who we are and whose we are. Celebrate the Paschal Mystery by entering into the Triduum.

 

Love Unbound

Love Unbound

"Unbind him, and let him go..."

Gospel for the 5th Sunday of Lent: John 11.1-45 (click on the link to read the passage)

Like the two weeks of Gospels we encountered previously, the Church prepares us for our holiest of days with the most powerful reminders of who God is. God who is love, knows no boundaries as he reaches for us, as witnessed in the story of the woman at the well. God, who is love, brings us "out of darkness into his own wonderful light", as we encountered last week in the healing of the man born blind.

And now the raising of his friend, Lazarus.

Take a look at the icon I selected for this blog. For those of you unfamiliar with Byzantine iconography, just a quick note. Icons are "doors to the sacred", inspiring prayer and meditation. They are not meant to portray the "earthly" world, so you will not see any vivid "realism" in the portrayal of the figures or the scene itself. You will find many icons portraying the same scene, ones which figure prominently in the liturgical life of the Eastern Church. 

So, in this case, "Lazarus Sunday" is celebrated in the Eastern Church, and many Byzantine churches will have and icon such as the one above. As you read the Gospel, allow your eyes to settle on the icon at various points in your reading, meditating on the scene.

John 11. 1-45 is in itself an icon, in terms of the depth and breath of its meaning for us as disciples. Let's reflect on just two.

"Jesus began to weep" (John 11.35)

 

The crowd around Jesus sees him weeping and thinks two things: either Jesus weeps for the loss of his friend Lazarus, or he is weeping because he could of healed him if he arrived sooner.

The crowd misses the point. Do we miss it as well?

Read verse 33. When he saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed.

Emmanuel, the "God with us" is also the "God for us". He weeps, not for the single friend, or for himself, but for the community. THIS IS THE GOD WHO SUFFERS WITH US!!  As a Christian, this is at the heart of our faith and hope- God loves us so much that he will suffer with us, he will weep for us!

And that would be enough...

And then we enter Holy Week when we see that God's love knows no bounds.

"Unbind him, and let him go" (John 11.44)

As powerful as the Line "Lazarus, come out!" is, I think  John 11.44 is even more so. Consider what Jesus says to his apostles elsewhere in the Gospels:

Whatever you bind on earth shall bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt 16.18-20)

Jesus' command to unbind Lazarus seems obvious- I mean, of course they would take off his bandages now that he is alive!!

But that's not why Jesus says it.

 Lazarus has been freed from sin.

Through our life in Christ we have been freed from sin. We are no longer "bound" by it!

 And notice it is through the community, the Church, that Jesus commands the unbinding!

As you prepare for Holy Week, avail yourself of the love Christ has for you through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Encounter Love Unbound. 

 

 

Blindfolds

Blindfolds

Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent: John 9. 1-41

When you were young, did you ever play games that required a blindfold? The most common was Pin the Tail on the Donkey. In these days of hyper-safety do we use Velcro instead of pins? Anyway, there was fun in the dark, knowing of course that blindfold would soon come off. But anytime we put blindfolds on there is confusion, distortion, anxiety... darkness.

Sunday's Gospel account of the man born blind, like any of the "signs" in John's Gospel is meant to be a "sign" for us.  It is a story of the early Christian church, and it is our story of the journey of faith and conversion, especially in this Lenten season.

Please take the time now to read and reflect upon this amazing story:

John 9.1-41 

Here are some key points to ponder:

• Unlike most of the healing stories in the Gospels, The man born blind does not come to Jesus and ask to be healed. It is Jesus who goes to him. (9.1-8). To hear the call of the Lord is the first step to conversion
• The blind man is sent to a place called "Sent" (Siloam) and is to "wash in the pool", an obvious reference to Baptism,
• The journey of faith is a process and not instantaneous. The man born blind is asked by his neighbors, "How were your eyes opened?" he responds, "The man called Jesus..."  When he is asked again by the Pharisees, he then says Jesus "is a prophet". Once he is kicked out of the synagogue and encounters Jesus again. Jesus asks him "Do you believe in the Son of Man". The blind man asks "who is he"? When Jesus says " the one with whom you are speaking," the man finally responds, "Lord, I believe." 
• As we have heard, this journey is not without suffering- rejection by neighbors, by parents, by powerful authorities, by the community- at least when he was blind, he wasn't rejected! But in the end, the man has become a new person, with a vision of the Kingdom of God, and life in the Trinity through the Son, Jesus Christ.
• The other characters in the story- the neighbors, the parents and the Pharisees, serve as a warning to us as disciples about "blindfolds"
• The neighbors are blinded by their perception that people cannot change so drastically. How many times have we hurt others through gossip, lies, and slander, because we have a skewed perception of who they are? Does past history and hurt prevent us from moving on? For teachers, do we find ourselves saying " that kid will never change", or "That class has always been like that." Time to remove the blindfold of hopelessness, and see with a vision of hope.
• The parents of the man born blind react in fear of themselves being rejected, and distance themselves from their son, and the Son of God. How much does fear play a role in our unwillingness to be witnesses to the Good News of Jesus? Are we afraid of letting people know who we really are? Time to remove the blindfold of fear and see with a vision of courageous witness.

• The Pharisees just don't get it. They have been blinded by their own need for power- the power to be right, to be in control, to be greater than others. The end of the chapter says it all - "Surely we are not blind are we?" Jesus said to them, "if you were blind, you would not have sin, but now that you say "we see", your sin remains. The fact that they cannot admit to their blindness keeps them in sin. And so we must ask ourselves, how well have we responded to the call of conversion? Have we availed ourselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Does our pride and ego stand in the way of living a life in Christ"? Time to remove the blindfold of sin and humbly ask for forgiveness and mercy. 

Lent is our time to remove our blindfolds. Ask God to help you restore your vision as a loving disciple.

Ebb and Flow

Ebb and Flow

"The one who drinks of the water I will give will never be thirsty"

Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent: John 4.5-42

Today we heard the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Please click on the link above and prayerfully read the passage from John's Gospel. 

For me, this is encounter reveals the depth of God's mercy made flesh in Jesus Christ. All barriers that were prominent in Jesus' time were broken by that mercy:

• the cultural barrier of a man in conversation with a woman alone;
• A Jew speaking to a Samaritan;
• the religious barrier of where one must worship

What is striking about the conversation is that it is the Samaritan woman who brings up the barriers, but Jesus continues to move the dialogue deeper. "Living water" is beyond culture, religious ritual or gender inequality.

Jesus is offering her living water. He offers her new life.

And in the ebb and flow of the conversation Jesus doesn't give up. Even when she doesn't get it. ("Sir give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty, or have to keep coming to draw water...)

Finally, the woman admits to faith that the Messiah is coming, one who "will proclaim all things to us". At that moment, Jesus reveals to her that he is the Messiah.
She drops everything and runs home to proclaim the news, news that she herself does not fully understand. ("He can't be the Messiah, can he?") 

This is the ebb and flow of conversion.
Like the Samaritan woman, we put up our barriers, mostly ones that are propped up by selfishness and ego, that keeps us from freely submitting to God's mercy.
Maybe we feel we don't deserve the living water that is life in Christ. Maybe we feel we are too far gone.
But God, in his infinite love, knows the ebb and flow of our hearts. And he is there for us, waiting for us to return again to him.

And that is why, as Catholics, we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially at this time during Lent. In the Archdiocese of Edmonton, we had a day of Confession last Tuesday. And there will be celebrations of Reconciliation is all the parishes in the coming weeks as well. Take time to celebrate this sacrament.
Consider the ebb and flow of your spiritual life during Lent. And prepare to drink of the living water, a new life in Christ, this Easter!
 
  

Mountain View

Mountain View

"This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"

Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent: Matthew 17.1-9

Some of my most memorable holidays have been in our beautiful mountain parks. As a casual hiker, there is nothing more spectacular than gaining a little altitude and admiring a scenic vista atop a mountain. The air is crisp, and you breathe deeply, taking in the scent of cedar and pine. High up, there is the sound of the wind through the valleys; or perhaps a wondrous silence. You look to the horizon, and like Peter in today's Gospel you can help but say, 

 "It is good to be here" 

Sometimes we can experience the "mountain view" in our spiritual lives as well. I'm thinking now of friends and former colleagues who are just returning from the Religious Education Conference in Anaheim, California. I have attended that conference five times, and every time I would come away feeling alive in faith and spiritual wholeness. And the people- over 35,000 Catholics praying, attending workshops, and sharing their faith! It's the "mountain view", the same one we can experience attending a World Youth Day, or a parish retreat, a 50th wedding anniversary or an Easter Vigil. Your soul says

 "It is good to be here" 

But there's a problem.

We have to get off the mountain sometime. 

We come back to "reality".

This is something of what happens to Peter, James and John, when they get a "mountain view" to end all mountain views- Jesus- "his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him"  Their appearance reminds us of the pillars of the Old Covenant - the Law and the Prophets-basking in the glory of the New Covenant, Jesus. Peter clearly doesn't get what is being revealed, all he knows is what he feels- that this is what heaven must be like...

And he doesn't want it to end...

He decides that they will stay on the mountain, who knows for how long???

"While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said ' This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!'"

NOW, Peter, James and John are "overcome with fear". But seeing Moses, Elijah, and a transfigured Jesus didn't frighten them???? 

Was it the sound of God's voice? Certainly. Moses himself had the same reaction when he encountered the Lord on Mount Sinai.

But I think there was more to it than that.

The Father has told the disciples to listen to Jesus. What does that mean???

It means "take up your cross and follow me." 

It means "give up your possessions and follow me." It means "lose your life to save it."  

It means " Eat this bread, drink this cup, and do this remembrance of me."

It means "Come, let us go to Jerusalem"

For us as disciples, when we truly listen to Jesus, we may be overcome with fear!!

 But Jesus tells them on the mountain, as he would tell them after the Resurrection,

Be not afraid

Every "mountain view" in our spiritual journey will ultimately lead us to hear the call to conversion, which is at the heart of our Lenten journey to Easter.

And conversion is not easy. In fact, it's scary.

 With open hearts, we can hear another call, another voice.

The voice of Jesus who says

"Be not afraid"

And we can go down from the mountain, with a new view.

A view of ourselves as a new creation. 

 

Lead us not into temptation....

Lead us not into Temptation...

Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent: Matthew 4. 1-11

As Christians, our core prayer for over two thousand years has been the "Our Father", the prayer Jesus himself taught us. Yet have you ever thought deeply about the petition, "lead us not into temptation"? Does it seem strange that we should be asking God to keep temptation away? Wouldn't God do this out of his love for us? 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Greek verb is a little tricky to translate- the Greek means both "do not allow us to enter into temptation", and "do not let us yield to temptation". The Catechism goes on to say that "we ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in a battle 'between flesh and spirit'; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength".

The battle is very real; and we can look to Christ Jesus as the model for resisting temptation. And by looking at today's readings, we can deepen our resolve to avoid sin and turn to God.

With the Genesis account of the fall of Adam and Eve, (Genesis 2. 7-9, 16-18, 25; 3.1-7) we are witnesses to the first temptation- to be like God and be without Him. We recognize this sin of origin to be one that is inherently lacking in trust of a loving and faithful Creator. The union was breached, and sin entered the world.

The second reading from Paul's letter to the Romans (5.12-19) beautifully unites the story of the Fall with the story of our Redemption in Jesus Christ: "For just as one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous." 

 And so we come to the account of Jesus' fast in the wilderness. He has come, remember, right after his baptism in the Jordan, and is now preparing for his mission. Satan arrives and offers three temptations. There have been countless interpretations of the meaning of these three, and one of the best I've come across is by Richard Rohr, OFM, in a Lenten Anthology God For Us.  Fr. Rohr explains them this way:
The three temptations here in Matthew are the universal temptations to three abuses of power:
1) the misuse of social or cultural power (turning stones into bread in a way that would be spectacular and draw attention to himself);
2) the misuse of religious power (to stand on the parapet of the temple and to quote scripture for his own purposes);
3) the misuse of political or dominative power (looking down at all the kingdoms of this world from a high mountain position)
Throughout the temptations, Jesus reveals himself as the "new Adam", obedient to the Father's will. He comes out of the wilderness, abiding in this Love.

 For us... The temptations of Jesus are our temptations as well. To abuse whatever power we have: as spouses, parents, teachers, managers, workers, religious... whatever our vocation, we can misuse our power, or throw our power away (another misuse!). If we allow our egos and desires to get in the way, we fall into the great temptation of being our own god. During this Lent, take time to reflect on how you may be tempted to misuse the power and gifts given to you. And pray fervently to the Father that He will
... lead us not into temptation.

Lent: "Spring Training"

Lent: "Spring Training"

Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday: Matthew 6.1-6; 16-18

When I was at the ACSTA's Symposium on Catholic education two weekends ago, I had the privilege of being at a table with Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary. Before the sessions started we were chatting about how can we best bring the Good News to people of today. Bishop Henry told me about an interview he had with a reporter, who didn't get why we "do Lent" (as an aside, the reporter told Bishop Henry that he was a Catholic!).

Bishop Henry said something like this:

"Look at it this way. It's just like spring training. Every year, the ball teams go down to the Southern USA with a few extra pounds, some rusty skills and some bad habits. Spring training gets them ready to be the best they can be for the season ahead.

That's what Lent does- by following the disciplines of Lent, we become better prepared disciples to celebrate the glory of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It gives our bodies, minds and souls a "spring training"

What a great metaphor for Lent! Thank you Bishop Henry!

So what are these "disciplines" of Lent?

There are a lot of excellent resources that explain why them. I suggest you read this article that I found from the National Catholic Register. It gets at the heart of the three disciplines: Praying, Fasting, and Giving Alms.

The three disciplines have been around way before the time of Jesus, and simply put, they help remind us of our own weaknesses and sinfulness. By fasting, we are reminded that we are not controlled by our own desires, and we have the capacity to give up a "good" for a "greater good"- life in God. We intensify or increase our prayer time, reminding us that to live in God's love, we need to listen to His voice. Finally we decrease our material wealth, and our egoism, by giving of our time, talent and treasure to those less fortunate than we. We are stewards of our wealth, not owners- giving reminds us of that.

In the Ash Wednesday Gospel, the "kick-off" to our spring training (oops, I mixed sports metaphors here!!), Jesus gives us an important warning- the disciplines are meant to put a hold on our pride and ego, not intensify it. Unlike spring training camp, where the sports media watch every move, the Lenten disciplines are a call to humility- to be loud and proud about the disciplines is, as Jesus says, what the hypocrites do. 

It is a delicate balance- on the one hand, you should explain what you are doing during Lent to children and other seekers as a way of sharing your faith, but on the other hand you don't want to trumpet your efforts. So be "pure and humble of heart" and you can't go wrong.

Some considerations as you begin your lenten journey:

Here are some tips to think about for a great spring training:

1. If you pray only in the morning, or at night, do both.

2. Pray, out loud, a blessing before each meal. Here are some great prayers before meals.

3. If you give something up for Lent, and "break" your promise, don't give up! Start again the next day

4. Find a book on spirituality, prayer, the life of a saint etc. and read from it every day.

5. Read the Gospel reading of the day during Lent. At this site, you can get it e-mailed every day.

6. If you have ab I-pod, I phone etc., try "Pray as You Go."

7. Go to confession. This year, the Archdiocese of Edmonton's Day of Confessions is March 18th. Check you local parish for the times

8. Also check your parish for extra prayer events. At my parish we'll be having the Stations of the Cross every Friday, followed by a Fish Fry put on by the Knights of Columbus. Prayer and Fellowship- doesn't get better than that!

9. Besides giving up food, why not try to "fast" from impatience? Gossip? Worry? These are tough, but the three disciplines will help.

10. Above all, journey this Lent with a joyful and humble heart.

Happy Spring Training!