Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Although being able to hear is an amazing gift, I have noticed that much of our daily living is filled with lots of noise. There is the television where the sound level goes up even higher during the commercials. There are the car radios blasting so loud that at times it rocks the car next to it. And then there are the cell phones buzzing, chirping and ringing. When you add to this the normal noises of people talking, babies crying, machines cranking it is hard to find a place of silence to hear the voice of God. Today’s readings remind us that sometimes it is important to get away from the busyness of life and go to places where we can allow the Spirit to open our minds and speak His words of love and courage.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Just before Easter we saw the election of a new Pope. I watched it with much interest and nervousness. The election was not simply about who would be the next Pope. It was also about how the cardinals think as the successors of the apostles. It was also about the future direction the church would take. And then, lo and behold, for the first time in the history of the Papacy came a pope from Latin America. He took the name Francis and his first messages seem to indicate a commitment for the poor and a desire for internal reform of the church. Benedict XVI, we know from his writings, was clearly enamored with the person of Christ. He expressed it in a stunningly intellectual manner. Francis’ emphasis is clearly more pastoral. Pope Francis created a flutter when on Holy Thursday he celebrated mass in a juvenile facility and washed the feet of the inmates two of whom were woman and non-Catholic. The entire Catholic and secular world was stunned. What should the world make of his very public action? I begin the homily by talking about the papal elections because today’s readings talk about the early church, apostolic succession and the advocate, the Holy Spirit who helps the church.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
There are several interesting elements in today’s three Readings that are worth noting, all of which link in some way to the Christian concept of discipleship.
In our First Reading, St. Paul encounters Timothy and decides to take him as a traveling companion. Timothy is himself both Jew and Gentile, having a Jewish mother (which is the general requirement for membership in the Jewish community) and a Gentile father. Through his parentage, Timothy seems to represent the Church of this period, which is growing community of both Jews and Gentiles. St. Paul, who will elsewhere argue vehemently against the need for Gentile Christians to become Jews, ends up having Timothy circumcised. This strange decision is presumably reached so that there will be no doubt about Timothy’s status within the Covenant, so that Timothy will be accepted by those to whom he is called to serve as a messenger. As these disciples travel about relaying the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem (that were reached in the previous chapter), the faith of the Christian community grows. The overriding theme of the First Reading, however, is following the lead of the Holy Spirit. According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Timothy intend to travel through one region and preach the Gospel only to be “prevented by the Holy Spirit” from doing so. Instead of allowing them to go where they have determined they should go, the Holy Spirit guides these disciples to preach to the people of Macedonia. They receive a vision, which is not necessarily the vision that they wanted, and begin to recognize that they are called in a different way than they have originally supposed. This does not mean that they will never make it to these other regions; it only means that they have other work to do that they must accomplish first.
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
My grandmother passed away a year ago last spring (she was 102). Since then, I have thought many times about her. I miss her greatly - the way she cut grapefruit, the letters she wrote me, and the music she would play. Maybe most of all, I miss her stories. In her stories, I could almost hear the beautiful deep bass voice that my great-grandfather had as he sang at funerals in the late nineteenth century; I could glimpse the ruby engagement ring my great grandmother was given; I could get a sense of what my grandfather must have experienced as a submarine sailor in the Pacific theater in World War II.
Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Christians, unfortunately, have sometimes had the reputation of being somber, miserable people who have no joy in their life. Does this sound familiar? I've known "church goers" who fit that description and I'm afraid it's turned some people away from Christianity. I don't think I appear somber or miserable (at least I hope not), but I'd also like to know more joy in my life. I'm not talking about superficial or fleeting happiness, or a denial of or even absence of suffering, but a deep joy and complete joy.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Recently, a friend emailed me to ask me the Catholic answer to a theological question that he and a co-worker were debating at work. His co-worker had left the Church and become a Calvinist. On many levels my friend’s description of the conversation seemed to keep boiling down to a discussion about the depravity of humanity and who could be saved. In my response to my friend I explained original sin, and suggested that he read paragraph 16 of Lumen Gentium, a document from Vatican II. Then, I sent the e-mail and began to reread the readings for the reflection for today. It was then I recognized with clarity the same themes were the content of today’s readings.
Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
Scripture Readings
It sometimes seems that one of the things most missing from modern life is peace. I’m sure that each of us can name many examples of conflict, war, violence, and oppression in the world today. We can also feel a lack of peace because of the hectic pace of modern life. We can often find ourselves rushing from one thing to the next, without the ability to put things into perspective and to see everything that happens in the light of what is really important.
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
I remember learning about Greek mythology in various history and English classes throughout middle school and high school. Reading literary classics such as Homer's Odyssey and learning about the various gods portrayed in them, my 14-year-old mind perceived them as silly fantasy novels, void of truth, archaic, and certainly not relevant to my modern life. Although trying my best to appreciate the poetic and historic elements of these stories, at the end of the day they were just that: stories. It was hard for me to believe that anyone would have sincerely put faith in these mythological gods, who appeared vengeful, vindictive, and violent. As I read today's Mass readings, I reflected on the prevalent misconception to view Catholicism in the same light. Perhaps we know people who view the Catholic faith as archaic and irrelevant or consider the Scriptures to be nothing more than fantasy? Or maybe they see God as vengeful, vindictive, or violent? Obviously, this is not our faith. What's the principle difference between Greek mythology and Catholicism? And what difference does it make? I think today's readings shed some light on these questions.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
In my homily last week I offered a reflection on the death and devastation at the Boston Marathon. In one of the points in my homily I said, “… that we respond to this gruesome event in the way Christ teaches us to. It means that I do not allow my anger to turn into hate. It means that my desire for justice does not turn into revenge. It means that we do not find relief in triumphalism but rather administer justice with humility. It means that I do not become prejudiced, bigoted and xenophobic. It means that I still believe in love.” However, in the past week the media also exposed us to those who were injured in the terrorist attacks. The stories of those who lost their limbs in amputations are truly gut-wrenching. Among them is 32 year old dancer Adrianne Haslet. Her left foot and part of the leg had to be amputated. She is not letting this hold her back. She is soon to make an appearance on Dancing With The Stars. I tried to imagine what it would mean for me to lose a limb. And then I began to feel the struggle inside me. Yes, I still believe in what I preached last week, but I am also struggling to remain positive, to still believe in love, to refrain from resentment and destructive emotions.
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
“All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God” announces the response of today’s psalm.. We hear these words today immediately after we hear the story of Paul and Barnabas and the great mission to the gentiles. Gentiles, that is non-Jews, were generally regarded by Jews as outside of God’s saving power. Therefore, Jesus’ universal call, including Jews and Gentiles, is one of the most distinctive things about Him. He came from the Jewish tradition and He’s very clearly rooted in it, but His mission is universal.
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
I think we live in a culture that thrives on opposites. We teach our children early on about opposites: light/dark, hot/cold, wet/dry, open/shut, and so on. We buy sweet n’ salty mixes at the store; we love to have our cold slushy milkshakes alongside crispy fries and hot hamburgers; we like a good love story about opposites attracting; and, let’s face it, our political system seems to thrive on having a good mix of opposition on the floor of congress (even as some decry the nation’s lack of unity.
Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist
Recently I had the opportunity to visit my parents along with my two sisters without our spouses and children. It was an unusual visit in that regard and the first time in probably twenty years or more that it was just us five, as it had been when we were growing up. One of the highlights of the visit for me was my Dad reading to us a letter he had written to his mother years ago when we were still in school after we had moved out of state. Some things that he read we all remembered, some things we had forgotten but remembered upon hearing it, and at least one thing he read was a surprise to all of us. It was fun and also disturbing to realize that as time passes, we forget some things that happened earlier in our lives. It also prompted us to bug our parents, again, to write down their memories while they can.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Alleluia, Christ is risen! As the season of resurrection continues, we are reminded through today’s readings that God is Trinity. The readings affirm our belief in God who sent us Jesus and empowers us with the Holy Spirit so that God’s way be known among all the nations.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
In the recent daily scripture readings, we have been working through the book of Acts. This book has always intrigued me. It is full of lively accounts of the activities of the first Christians and their attempts to live out the gospel. It also recounts the astonishing ways that the Christian faith spread through the action of the Holy Spirit. Although I find this book fascinating, I also sometimes wonder what this book can have to say to us in our times, since our world is very different than the world which Jesus’ apostles and early disciples inhabited. It seems to me that the scripture readings for today provide an answer to this question.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Today’s Scriptures continue the theme of Good Shepherd Sunday. While reflecting on the passages I was reminded of a poem by Teresa of Avila entitled Christ has No Body. It begins this way: “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours…” It occurred to me that Christ has no human voice but ours as well. Oftentimes if people in the world are to hear and recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd, it is completely up to us to make that happen.
In today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles, Peter has a vision that opens his mind to the action of the Holy Spirit in a completely new way. His brothers in Judea wanted to know why he had entered the home of Gentiles and shared a meal with them. They were pagans and thus did not have access to the realm of the Kingdom. So how does Peter respond to his fellow Jewish Christians? After relating his vision to them he says, “If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God? (Acts 11:17) It has been revealed to Peter that the rules and traditions and laws cannot determine membership in God’s Kingdom. Only God himself can decide this. But who among us has never (even secretly) felt this same about certain individuals or groups of people? But God does not discriminate when he offers the invitation to grace. It can be very tempting to unconsciously exclude others unlike ourselves from the reach of the fullness of God’s grace. Unfortunately, this mindset can lead us to dampen the expression of our own call to disciple others if we avoid or pass on the opportunity to bring the Gospel to the person or group we have unconsciously excluded.
In the passage from the Gospel of John Jesus is telling the Pharisees the only way to enter the Kingdom is through him. He is the way to salvation. Jesus likens the Pharisee’s oppression, maltreatment and imposition of unreasonable laws on the people to thievery and slaughter. Not only does this keep the people from following their “Good Shepherd” but it prevents them from even hearing his voice. The Pharisees use their power to coerce the people using fear. The responsorial Psalm presses the point further and in a slightly different way: “It was not by their own sword that our fathers won the land, it was not their own strength that brought them victory; it was the work of thy hand, thy strength; thy smile shone upon them, in proof of thy favor.” (Ps 44:4) Just as we do not decide who is saved, neither is it our own work that wins our salvation. It is a free gift bestowed by God through Jesus Christ.
I often think about all the people I know who are unaware of this gift. Some have never heard the Gospel. Some have been misled by culture or dysfunctional family lives. Some are in the grip of addiction or mental illness. When I look back on my own life it is obvious I had no part in coming to know Christ beyond accepting his personal invitation…and even that was unmerited grace. The obstacles to freely accepting God’s gift are not of God’s making. Often they are not even our own making. But basic to the life of a disciple is helping others recognize obstacles that keep them from becoming aware of the gift of salvation. The best way we can do this is to help them recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd that will lead them to the salvation that is offered to all of humanity.
O Gracious Holy Father
Thank you for the grace
to recognize the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Deepen my desire and resolve to bring all others I encounter
to recognize his voice as well.
With the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
In Jesus’ name.
Amen
--Gail Lyman
Fourth Sunday of Easter
The events related to the gruesome bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon have just wound up. But the horror, the painful memories and the grief of those that were killed and injured will remain etched in the minds of the people of this nation for a very long time. No motive can justify the killing and harming of innocent people. To know that one of the three people killed in the bomb blasts was eight year old Martin Richard, and then to see him with a poster that said ‘No more hurting people. Peace,” is truly heart wrenching. Little Martin had come to see his mother finish the marathon. There is no appropriate way to describe the tragedy of this event. Over the past few months our nation has seen more blood, more sadness and more tears than we ever want to see.
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
"Real food" has been in the news a lot lately. Real food could be summed up as food that has both ingredients you can pronounce, and which you can prepare in your very own kitchen without too much trouble.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
Sometimes the joy of the resurrection is harder to participate in when times get tough. When we are in the midst of tragic loss, or struggling through the pain a shattered marriage or friendship, or even journeying with a loved one who is near death, Easter joy might seem far away. We may not feel it, but these times are when the Lord is trying even harder to remind us of his desire to lead us to from death to eternal life.
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
In the Easter Season it is sometimes easy for the memory of Easter Sunday to recede pretty quickly. At this time of year, it is natural to look forward to summer, rather than backwards to reflect on what took place during Lent and the Triduum. The scriptures for today can inspire us to keep our focus on Jesus even as we move ahead through the season of Easter.