Easter Faith is a Work in Progress

 

Yesterday, I was invited by Bishop Mack to peach on the Sunday gospel at the cathedral. Here are some of the highlights for your reflection.

Someone walked into church with a Tim Horton’s coffee and it reminded of a moment when I observed a group of guys at Tim Horton’s gathered to just “shoot the bull.”

 

In the gospel, we have Cleopas, Jesus’ uncle by the way and his friend chatting about recent events in Jerusalem. However, they are very down in the dumps because as they said: “we had hoped.” It’s Easter night as they are walking out of Jerusalem to Emmaus which was a Roman spa town something like Las Vegas. Their dream was shattered hoping Jesus his nephew was going to save them from Roman rule. Then a stranger comes along and oddly, uncle Cleopas does not recognize his nephew.

 

This stranger explains it all and excited the men invited him to “stay with them” for dinner. At the table, he takes the bread, blesses it, broke it and hands it to them and “their eyes were opened” and He vanishes.

So what does the read to Emmaus teach us? Whenever we are discouraged in our faith, whenever our hopes seem to be crucified, we need to go back to Galilee and Jerusalem, that is, to the dream, to the road of discipleship that we had embarked upon before everything went wrong. The temptation is when things are not working out to our expectations we abandon being a disciple.

 

Now when I was deployed to help the people of Divine Mercy in Las Vegas their dream had been shattered when their pastor abandoned them. They went into shock and disbelief. They were like Uncle Cleopas and his buddy, downcast and empty. 

 

We have a choice. We can simply give up the quest or take on a new spirit that believes that there is a greater force at work, a force in whose hands we will always be safe. That’s what happened at Divine Mercy. From shock and despair, they found the courage to keep going and reopen their doors because there was a greater force at work, a force in whose hands they will always be safe.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel overwhelmed by life, when we feel that we just can't go on. Easter faith is a work in progress. What we know for sure is that on the road there will always be a stranger walking with us, explaining that whatever has happened to us, God is always with us, love overcomes hate, and life is stronger than death.

 

Which Side Are You On

There are two sides to every story. So which side of the story are you on? You know when they dragged Jesus before Pilate they thought that Jesus’ end was very near. When they watched him scourged, you know that no man was going to endure and survive this but he did. When they crowned him with thorns and mocked him thinking that there would never be any retribution and he was sent out to Golgotha carrying a cross they celebrated that their will was being done. When they nailed him to the cross they thought they were going to be rid of him forever. When he mumbled from the cross, they thought he was a madman losing his mind and when he screamed out in agony and a man feels death is near well they thought they won. But they were wrong.

 

What they thought was the end was actually just the beginning. When the tomb was empty, they claimed it was fraud but when they learned the truth they tried to surpress it. When he started appearing to people, their illusions crumbled and they became very uneasy. When his followers rose up with courage and began telling a story wherever people would listen, their uneasiness became fear and when they harassed his followers they were met with peace and they were perplexed. When they watched his communities living around respect, love, kindness, compassion and generosity they were baffled. What’s happening here? And when in the face of death his followers showed hope not fear the persecutors became intrigued. They became amazed. They were astounded.

 

Now there are two sides to every story. There is the story of life and then there is the story of death. There is the story of Jesus and Truth. In the end truth always triumphs. It always has and it always will.

 

So which side of the story are you on? That’s the problem. One moment people are living and loving like as if Jesus really did rise from the dead and the next living as if they were the one who was in charge and they are the king and queen of the universe.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially my friends at Divine Mercy in Las Vegas whose doors are reopened and welcoming people back to their dynamic National Catholic Church. Keep there wonderful people in your prayers.

 

Used tombstone for sale. That’s what the ad said in the Milwaukee newspaper.  A real bargain for someone named Dingo, for information call. It seems obvious to me that Dingo must have been a Christian because who else wouldn’t need a tombstone. Tombstones indicate the end and you invested yourself in this life and now it’s over.

 

But the church simply isn’t tombstone territory. We are Easter people and Easter people believe death is not the end.

 

Now the gospels were created by four different writers in different places but they all agree on the same basic things. There is no dispute when early in the morning on a Sunday. Who, women go to the tomb. What, the stone is gone. How, angels or there’s some kind of supernatural encounter they discover that the tomb is empty. The result, fear and confusion. Fact, Jesus isn’t there.

 

All four gospels share these same basic seven things. It’s pretty remarkable don’t you think four documents nearly two thousand years old all share the same basic eyewitness testimony that is the bedrock foundation of the Christian faith. We are Easter people. That means our lives are filled with holy moments. Easter people know that faith conquers fear.

 

A good friend of mine learned that a few years ago. Holy Week was very special to him, it always has been for him. He had certain expectations how he wanted the week to unfold, how he hoped to encounter God, he yearned for Good Friday and then Easter, this is the main event.

 

But a few years ago, God had special plans for him. He got a stomach virus on Monday and he no longer had a colon so that can mean trouble. He knew that he had to pay attention to how his body responds and every few years he has to go to the hospital for dehydration, usually meant two IV bags for 12 hours and then he is back home. But this time he waited too long thinking that it would pass and because he didn’t want to disrupt his Holy Week.

 

His wife said go to the hospital, but he said no. Typical male, I’m smarter than you are, I’ll just wait it out. Until on Tuesday he got so weak that she won and they went to the hospital. They were in the ER and he explained his situation. The doctor came in with a file and it said in red letters, renal failure. The doctor looked at his wife and said, you waited too long. Your husband is completely dehydrated, his kidneys are shutting down, his pulse rate is twice what it’s supposed to be so we got to act now and it may take awhile. So he got to spend Holy Week in the hospital. That was one of the worst punishments you could give him.

 

But two things happened to remind him that he is an Easter person. First a very powerful and unique holy moment having his wife kneeling next to him as he lay on that gurney praying and the nurse began treatment. The situation was worse than expected but instead of fear that prayer as they held hands they both had a deep supernatural peace, a true holy moment where they realized faith conquers fear.

 

And then with time and the remarkable simplifying that happens to your life when you are in the hospital, he also had some time with God where he could reveal to him some of the resentments and the hurts that he had carried toward a number of people in his life and he wrote them all down and it was a pretty long list unfortunately. And then he prayed and he released that baggage and all the toxic wastes that he was carrying and what was inside of him became alive, again another holy moment.

 

What looked like a miserable Holy Week became a grace encounter with the Risen Lord because faith conquers fear.

Easter people know where they are going. I remember one man told me that God is not in the business of granting wishes He’s in the business of raising the dead. Easter means we know where we are going.

 

Imagine, an unborn infant in the womb is able to speak.

Suppose someone says to her soon you must leave this place to be born, you are going to enter a different realm. The infant might protest and say no. I like it here. I’m fed, it’s warm I feel loved, I don’t want to leave this place to be born, but nature takes it course and the baby is born after she endures a slap on the bottom and a good cry. She looks up into a loving face and she’s cuddled into loving arms and soon she discovers she can get anything she wants if she just coos and cries. So ,the infant says to herself this is nicer than I thought it would be.

 

Childhood passes, she becomes a teenager, then an adult and then she grows old, her bodily parts begin to age and wear out and one day the thought of death worries her. She says to herself I like this place I don’t want to leave death scares me. Nature again takes its course, she dies. What happens then.

 

Jesus promises that his children will be purified and born once more, She will look into a face more beautiful than her mother’s, loving eyes look down on her and beneath her are Everlasting Arms, She will be born again into a heavenly realm, where there is no pain, there is no death, there is no sin. She will be home at last. In other words, we don’t need tombstones. We are Easter people.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially the Anglo and Mexican families at Divine Mercy parish in Las Vegas. You have been reborn, not evicted from your house of worship. For you are Easter people.

                                                                                       

 

                                              

 

The Kindness of Strangers

 

People often ask why we call this day Good Friday – how can it be good? As I looked at the story again this year, one of the things that struck me was that, for all the cruelty and hatred in it, there are also acts of love and kindness too, often from people who are either right on the fringes of Jesus’ world or even complete strangers to him. There are the stories of people like the person who owned the donkey and gave it to Jesus to ride into Jerusalem, or the penitent thief on the cross, who defends Jesus when the other thief crucified with them rails at him. There’s Simon of Cyrene, who is forced to help Jesus carry his cross, but is evidently changed by the experience and becomes a disciple. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea step out of the shadows after Jesus’ death and help with his burial, a gesture that must have seemed to them too little, too late, until the resurrection changed everything. And then there are the women who watched the crucifixion and the burial, when all Jesus’ male disciples have run away. They may not be able to do anything to prevent it, but it makes a difference to us when others see and take notice of our suffering, and I’m sure it did to Jesus too.

When you look at this terrible story, you find golden threads of kindness woven through it. They don’t negate the suffering and hatred, but they are every bit as important as them. They remind us that evil is not the whole of any story, that, if we have eyes to see, there is always hope and love.

The kindness of strangers is as precious now as it was then.  It counts. It matters. The people of Divine Mercy parish faced an eviction notice that left folks in shock and grief. But the kindness of strangers has made a huge difference. Yesterday, I noticed volunteers greeting people at the door, at the reception desk scheduling requests for baptisms and quinceanera, in the religious store taking orders, serving carne verna, beans and rice, planning music for Holy Week, lay committee folks committed to keep their parish open, in the reception area renewing friendships. In every small gesture of love, even if it seems pointless, especially if it seems pointless, they proclaim the power of God, the God who doesn’t let hatred have the last word, ever.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially the people of Divine Mercy whose kindnesses are rooted in the greatest kindness of all, the love of God, for us. God who didn’t have to come and live and die with us in Christ, but he chose to do so, because we needed him, even if we didn’t know it. It is sometimes hard to see the good in Good Friday, just as it was hard for the people of Divine Mercy to see the good in the deception of the past, but that is what we are called to do, today and everyday, to see it and to be it, for friends and strangers, and even enemies, because that’s what God did for us.

 

 

 

Washing Feet--What's It All About

 

After a twelve hour plane trip with two flight delays I arrived in Las Vegas to help wash feet at Divine Mercy Church tonight. What’s that all about?

Simply put, we remember when Jesus is with his disciples, it is just before Passover, and what does he do?  He washes their feet. This is not what we would expect a leader, a person of power, a respected person to act. To provide for foot washing was a common act of hospitality.  Travelers walked hot and dusty roads, and the host often offered water to guests so that they could wash their feet.  But the foot washing was generally done by the guests themselves – you washed your own feet.   It was self-service.  Or there might be a servant who would wash the feet of guests.  But here, Jesus combined the roles of host and servant.  He wrapped himself with a towel – taking on the uniform of a servant. 

Peter is outraged, hosts do not wash the feet of guests. Rabbis do not wash the feet of disciples. And if we are honest, we may not be comfortable having our pastor wash our feet. Because come to think of it, we aspire to be a successful, we aspire to at least a certain level of social standing, and that does not mean taking the role of a servant. However for Jesus, leadership means servanthood.

The call to follow Jesus is not a call to glitz and glamor.  It is not a call to fame and fortune.  It is not a call to popularity.  It is not a call to success, as the world defines success.  It is a call to service.  It is a call to love all of God’s children.  It is a call to probably get into some trouble, to probably offend some people somewhere along the line, because we are following One who got into trouble.

At the heart of Christian discipleship is service.  Serving is doing what needs to be done for the sake of others. I will be humbled tonight to be in a church that a few weeks ago was abandoned by their leader and threatened with eviction.

However, tonight I see folks like Deacon Erick, Monica, Sarah, Phil, Mary and many others who give of their time and effort, often in ways that go mostly unseen, to do what needed to be done to keep the doors of your church open.

The call to follow Jesus is a call to serve and all of you have my highest praise and prayers for your outstanding work to keep Divine Mercy a visible sign of Christ’s love for His people. Come now and let Christ wash away your fears and doubts for He loves you just the way you are.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine friends and new friends at Divine Mercy that you bathe them in your grace and fill their souls with much peace and joy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord Has Need of You

 

“The Lord has need of it.” That’s what the disciples are told to say. It’s a simple phrase. “The Lord has need of it.” Think of the money in your purse or your wallet right now. Imagine someone saying, “The Lord has need of it.” Now think of something valuable you own like your truck, or ATV, or stereo. Now imagine hearing, “The Lord has need of it” I confess, I don’t know what I would say, how I would respond.

 

So I think about that donkey owner and I wonder if he had a bad night. I wonder if he was up early, peeking out, hoping against hope that the call wouldn’t come, that what he had been told wouldn’t happen. I imagine a quiet early morning as he looks out and sees the moving shadows the disciples, hopes they are going somewhere else, knows they are not. Finally, they are at his gate; he opens it, they look at each other and say what they’ve been told: “The Lord has need of it.” It’s just the three of them and the animals and he has to make a choice. Right here, right now he has to decide.

 

For all the stories of Holy Week, from this parade Jesus riding on the donkey, to the other parade, the one that goes to Golgotha, are all about people meeting Jesus. You are reflecting on the homily I wrote for Deacon Erick who is celebrating Palm Sunday in Las Vegas. I have been deployed and joining him to lead the Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday services. 

 

Jesus comes to Palm Sunday riding a donkey but more importantly he comes because some disciple had the faith to say when the call came, “Yes, Lord!” as I said yes to my bishop to help the good people of Divine Mercy. 

 

Right here, right now, we are being asked to meet Jesus, to follow him, to go with him throughout this week. We all have schedules to keep, things to do but this is what this story tells us about our time: “The Lord has need of it.” You’ve heard the conversations before the cross: now it’s time for your own conversation. Jesus has come to Jerusalem: has he come to you? Can you hear him say about your own time, your own life, right here, right now, “The Lord has need of it”?

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, especially the people of Divine Mercy who have reopened their doors to welcome their neighbors, strangers and all in need of comfort and hope. The Lord “has need of you” right at this moment to say “yes, Lord, your will be done.” What will you decide, how will you reply?