Why Catholics Believe in the Eucharist

June 3rd, 2015

Westminster Tower Ecumenical Service

Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

As many of you know, I have been coming here for almost 10 years now to conduct a Holy Communion Service for the Catholics on the Fourth Thursday of the month. I mention that because I want you to know how important Holy Communion is to us Catholics. We say that it is the source and summit of our faith because belief in Jesus and his sacrament are fundamental to what it means to be a Catholic. That’s why most Hospitals and Assisted Living Facilities seek Holy Communion services and ministers for their Catholics just like Westminster Towers did, so that this great need can be fulfilled. I am going to talk a little bit today about why the Eucharist is so important.

The reading you just heard is for this coming weekend, the Feast of Corpus Christi. That is also known as the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ- or Holy Communion. Now almost every Sunday of the year, the readings we use as Catholics are the same as the ones used by the majority of other Christian Denominations, because the Common Lectionary used by most Christian Churches drew heavily from the Catholic Lectionary that was published after the second Vatican Council way back in the ‘70’s. However this weekend is an exception.    This weekend only the Catholics will hear the Gospel reading you just heard.

Now, the Church follows a carefully worked out pattern in our Calendar that sequentially celebrates the key beliefs of our Christian Faith. First we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. That means God sent his only Son to live as one of us. We call that the Incarnation.    Then came the suffering of Jesus and his crucifixion. But Jesus did not really die, because on Easter we celebrated the Resurrection of the Lord. And Jesus promised all of us the same resurrected life when we die if we believe. Then we celebrated his Ascension and promise to send the Holy Spirit.  After that we celebrated Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Church was born. The Spirit is what gives us eternal life. And then last week, we celebrated the feast of the Holy Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- three persons in one God, to tie it all together.

So far all of us have celebrated the great mysteries of faith in this sequence- Catholic and Protestant.  This week, Catholics celebrate Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ, because we feel that belief in the Eucharist as the real presence of Jesus continues this overall theological thread.

As you listened to today’s scripture, you heard the beginning of Jesus passion and death because it all began at the Last Supper. In the famous words of today’s scripture, Jesus offers himself up as a sacrifice. Listen again: “He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and said ”Take it; this is my body””. Then He did the same with the chalice, ending with these words: “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.”  So, Jesus is offering his body and blood as a sacrifice to be shed for many at the Last Supper. And he describes it as the blood of the covenant.

Now the Last Supper was a Passover meal celebrated in the Jewish tradition. Jesus wanted to celebrate the Passover with his Apostles that is clear from the first part of our reading when he lays plans out to do so.

At the Passover, each Jewish family slaughtered a lamb, commemorating what happened on the original Passover when the Lord struck down the first born of all who had not celebrated the Passover and spread the blood of the sacrifice on their doorposts. And so, Jesus is described as the “Lamb of God” by the Church because Jesus, not a lamb, is the sacrificial offering of the new covenant. It was his blood that would be shed in just a few hours after the Last Supper Jesus predicts what will happen at the Last Supper and begins the sacrificial process that only ends on Calvary.

When you read the 6th Chapter of St. John, which occurred a couple of years before the Crucifixion, Jesus talked at length about the necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood in order to enter the kingdom of God. He mentions it at least three times. This was repugnant to the Jews for several reasons. First of all, they were forbidden from consuming the blood of animals. But even more to the point, they were repulsed by the idea of eating human flesh. Jesus command violated both of these taboos of the Mosaic Law. So, many of Jesus’ followers left after hearing that. The rest stayed with Jesus, but didn’t really understand what he meant. But then, some years after Jesus spoke those words, as he is consuming the Last Supper, Jesus talks about it again. “This is my body and this is my blood”, he says. Why? Because he meant it both times, literally. He meant for the consecration of the bread and wine as the Eucharist to be an important part of his legacy.

God sent his son to a particular first century generation. That generation experienced Him first hand- one on one. People could talk to Jesus just like you and I can talk to each other.    In this sense, Jesus was immanent to the people of his time. All other religions consider God remote, above us, unapproachable- or transcendent. But here was Jesus, God made man, right there alongside of human beings. No longer was God unapproachable. And not only that, but Jesus left us several gifts. First, he left the Gospel as a script for how to relate to God. But that wasn’t all he gave us. He also gave us the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. By partaking of the Sacrament, we can be just as close to God today as Jesus was to the Apostles in their day. Lastly, he promised the gift of his spirit, which we commemorated just two weeks ago.

Notice from our reading that Jesus says, take it, eat it, and drink it. This not only means we are partaking of the Sacrament of Holy Communion as individuals. But it also means that all of us are partaking of the one body. So all who partake of the Body and Blood of Christ have the second person of the Trinity dwelling in them, the congregation that shares in the Eucharist is joined together in Communion by that one Body. We call that the Body of Christ.    Thus, one of the main reasons we gather in worship to receive Communion is for us to be joined together in union as one people in the Body of Christ.

If you read the book of Revelation, which is very cumbersome to read and understand, there some things that really leap out at you. For example, the 19th Chapter of Revelation speaks of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. They are referring to the Lamb of God, Jesus, who as we have just said replaces the Passover Lamb with his own Body. And Revelation goes on to say that “Blessed are those who are called to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb”;  that is us- all of us who are saved, who are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, will be in invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb as is clear from the other words in Revelation. And what happens at the wedding feast of the lamb? Everyone will be in communion with Jesus and will be offering praise and thanksgiving to God.

Notice how similar worship services that emphasize Holy Communion are to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Because all of the Faithful who consume the Body and Blood of Christ enjoy Jesus physical presence as one mystical Body in worship and praise of God.  So another reason the Eucharist is so important is that it foreshadows the worship that we will experience when we reach the Kingdom of God.

There is one other important reason why the Eucharist is so important. And that is because Jesus told us that it is his body and blood in scripture as I discussed earlier. Now this is a stumbling block to many, as it was for those who heard it described in the Gospel of John.  Just how can it be?    Most people say “I can see that the bread and wine doesn’t change in physical appearance”. But some of you took a field trip a couple of years ago to my Church.    There, we had on display “Eucharistic Miracles” exhibits. These were large poster boards that documented some miracles observed over the centuries. The miracles included bread and wine actually turning into flesh and blood; images of Jesus that suddenly appeared on the host; hosts that were preserved in perfect condition over hundreds of years; persons whose only subsistence was Holy Communion for years; and others.

I find it curious that these 130 odd sanctioned Eucharistic miracles have not gotten more publicity. But of course, none of us here have witnessed any of them first hand. And so, we tend to be doubting Thomases in that regard. The real issue here is a matter of faith, not proof. Yes, we need to have faith- belief in something despite the fact that it cannot be proven. We believe in the Incarnation, the Resurrection of the dead, Life Everlasting in the Kingdom of God, and the Trinity. These are all mysteries of our faith that we celebrate in sequence.

The Real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is yet another mystery that we are called to believe on faith. And when we believe and join in the celebration of the Eucharist, or the Mass, we are called to the closest thing on earth to the wedding feast of the Lamb. We become one body and one spirit with our brothers and sisters in the worship and praise of Almighty God.

Listen to the words we use as we receive this great sacrament. The minister says: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World, Happy are those who are called to his Supper.” And the people respond: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Then we offer the body of Christ to them, they consume it, and they respond.  “Amen”.

Amen!

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Jesus is With Us Till The End

May 31st, 2015

Trinity Sunday

Dt 4:32-34, 39-40: Rom 8: 14-17; Mt 28: 16-20

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

“Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age”. This is Jesus promise to each and every one of us.

You know, as Christians, we share in the unique belief in the Incarnation. This means that we believe that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, and lived and dwelt amongst us as one of us.  He suffered, died, and was buried, only to rise again on Easter. After spending 40 days with his Apostles, He then ascended into heaven. But he left us two very important gifts: The first was the gift of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. We will celebrate that gift next week on the feast of Corpus Christi; and the second gift of the Holy Spirit, which we celebrated last weekend on the feast of Pentecost.

Today we celebrate the mystery of the Trinity- the fact that there is just one God, but He is three separate persons- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  You know, most of us don’t think much about the Trinity.  It’s a mystery that “bends our brains”; it defies reasoning.    How can God be one, and yet still be three distinct persons?

And yet, the Incarnation and the Trinity go hand in hand in defining the uniqueness of Christianity as a Religion. And I’d like to bring up a few things about why that uniqueness is so important to each of us.

You see, most religions believe that God is far above us. They use the word “transcendent” to describe His distance from us. That simply means that God is far above us, has always existed and always will exist; He is infinitely good, knowledgeable, and He created all things.    And so each of us is humbled by the “bigness” of such a God. It would be hard to imagine how to relate to a God who knows everything, and is all good, because he is so far above us.    Where would one begin?

Some religions think God just set things in motion and has left things to run their natural course- and that he is uninvolved. These people are called Deists, and Unitarianism has Deist roots. Other people believe that it takes a special kind of person to communicate with God, a person who divorces himself from the world and all things of the world, because God is a spirit, he is not of this world. He is above the world in all ways.

But Christians have this special gift- the Incarnation, in which God sends Jesus into the world to live as one of us. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, the second person of the Trinity. And so, the Trinity and the Incarnation are interrelated mysteries.  We are not capable of understanding either of these mysteries. But what they mean for us when we believe in them is very important.

You see, if God’s son Jesus lived amongst us as one of us; and was both human and divine, then God’s Son was not transcendent.  Rather, he was just like one of us.  God became what is called immanent to us by living right there alongside of other human beings in his time.    That means that real people could relate directly to God. They did so directly with Jesus.  And the 4 Gospels record how Jesus taught us to relate to God; to other people in the world, and to the world itself.

While the Incarnation and the Trinity are mysteries; God took away the mystery on how we can all relate to Him. He gave us himself incarnate as Jesus, who was the living example of how humanity can be close to God.  And just to make sure that all people of every age that followed Jesus shared in the immanence of Jesus’ earthly presence, He gave us the Eucharist, Holy Communion, his own Body and Blood  as a sacrament so that the living God, Jesus would be close to everyone after his time as well.

Now he also promised us the second great gift, the Holy Spirit; the breath of life; the comforter. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and lives forever. So, if we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we will live forever just as the risen Christ lives forever. This, too, is unique to Christianity- the promise of life ever after with the Spirit of God dwelling in us, another sign of the immanence of God in our lives.

And so, let us all be grateful for the mysteries of the Incarnation and the Trinity. We choose to believe without really understanding- we call that Faith. And the fruits of that faith are the two great gifts Jesus left us- Holy Communion and the Holy Spirit.

So, Rejoice, because truly, as Jesus said in the Gospel: “Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age”

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Recognizing the Mighty Works of God

May 28th, 2015

Thursday of the 8th Week of Ordinary Time

Sirach 42: 15-25; Mark 10: 46-52

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

I have not been with you for the last three weeks.  Rather, my wife and I have been away on vacation.  We visited our son in Seattle and took an Alaskan Cruise.  When I read this morning’s first reading, I couldn’t help but recall both of these experiences from our trip,  because the works of God had been so manifest in both of them.

You see, my oldest son was told long ago that he couldn’t have children.   But when my son and his wife picked us up at the airport, it was clear that his wife was carrying a child.  It was their joyous surprise for Jane and I, and the answer to many, many prayers.  For what seemed so impossible was all of a sudden a reality. And this, truly, was something of the heart- a deep longing for fulfilment had been realized.  It was truly an answer to a prayer, and a manifestation of the wonderful works of God. What a joyous dinner we all had that night celebrating.

And then there were the multiple works of God that manifest themselves on that cruise. The weather was absolutely perfect the entire cruise. And in fact, it was in the 70’s, clear and cloudless, with bright sunshine at all three Alaskan ports we visited. The scenery was just magnificent, we were even blessed with an unfettered view of a Bald Eagle in the wild.  Words cannot express the beauty of the world we visited in those 7 days. Yes indeed, as Sirach says, “As the rising sun is clear to all, so the glory of the Lord fills all his works.”

My wife and I returned to reality earlier this week. And that’s when the words of the Gospel Reading struck me. Clearly, I had been blessed with vision of the wonderful works of God while I was on vacation- both works of the heart, and the physical beauty in the world around us. Like the beggar whose eyes were opened by the Lord, the cruise and my son’s announcement opened our eyes.        But when we are living our day to day lives, we can easily be blind, blind to the goodness that God works in our daily lives, and blind to the beauty of the world around us.

Indeed, each of us is blessed by talents, gifts, relationships, and environments which carry the same goodness and glory of the creator with them  that these gifts God gave us on our vacation do. We have only to open our eyes, and see them.

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Christians Are the New Chosen People

May 8th, 2015

Thursday of the 5th Week of Easter

Acts 15: 7-21; John 15: 9-11

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Listen once more to these words from Acts:  “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit just as he did us.”

You know, all of us here bear a special gift- our Catholic Faith.  That gift guarantees us the fullest revelation of God’s message of His plan for mankind.  So we are truly a chosen people.  In that respect, we are no different from the Jews of Jesus time. They were the chosen people then by virtue of the writings and traditions of Moses and the prophets.  Indeed, the Jews enjoyed the fullest revelation of God’s plan for man up until the time of Jesus.

But things changed, didn’t they.  Because Jesus came and delivered a different message- the Good News of the Gospel.  Some of the Jews listened to that new message and the Christian Church was born.  But the Jews brought with them all the baggage of thousands of years of tradition and scripture and the law.  Now I want to be sure to emphasize that the Mosaic Law in all its detail was a good thing.  It was, after all, God’s word in as pure a form as mankind could express it at the time.  So, the Jewish converts wanted everyone who believed in Jesus to carry that baggage as well because they had their sights on complying with the letter of the law revealed by God over time, just as they had always done.

Our readings today set the record straight.  We would do well to listen to the essence of the message, because we find ourselves privileged as the chosen people bound by many Church laws and precepts.  And the Church rightly teaches that a true believer embraces all that the Church teaches.  But there is a little matter of priority and emphasis, isn’t there?  In all the words of scripture and the Catechism, where is the core of the teaching?  What is the most important thing in God’s eyes?

Jesus was quite critical of the Pharisees and Scribes precisely over this point.  In truth, the same dilemma applies to all Religious peoples.  For example:  Moslems obey the Ramadan fast law, and zealously guard against anyone who would draw an image of the prophet Mohammed because that’s what their aggregate teaching says.  Orthodox Jews believe in ritual washing of food; and dietary separation of dairy and meat for the same reason.  Hindus believe that cows are sacred.  I could go on and on.  And I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me, I’m not meaning to be critical.  I’m just trying to point out some details.  There are many things each of these Religions teaches.  But what is the most important thing in these and all religions?

For Christians, I think we heard it summarized in our two readings today.  First, God looks into the heart.  Yes, it is what is in our heart that matters.  Do our hearts believe in God, I mean really believe in God?  Do we believe in the story of Jesus as our savior?  And do we accept that God’s will is the blueprint for our lives so we can follow in his destiny?  Do we trust in Him no matter what happens?

Second, what kind of a God do we believe in?  Is he a distant, judging, critical God?  Or is he a God of love?  Jesus tells us pretty clearly in the Gospel.  He tells us that we should “Remain in my Love”.  So it is the loving God that we need to believe in.  And if we believe that God treats us with Love, then we have to believe that He treats everyone else with the same love, too.

And so, when a person believes in God in the heart; and embraces the love of God in his heart; then God will give them “His Holy Spirit” as it says in Acts.  This doesn’t just happen for Catholics, but for all who believe in God in their hearts, and act out of love.

The Apostles were evangelizing the world, and had to make adjustments to embrace those they converted.  We are called to evangelize, and to make adjustments as well.  Love of our neighbor is the most important evangelization we can do, especially those who are filled with the same Spirit of God, whether they are Catholic or not.

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Peter’s Pretty Bold Talk

April 16th, 2015

Thursday of 2nd Week of Easter

Acts 5: 27-33; John 3: 31-36

Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Pretty Bold Talk, that’s what Peter’s speech to the Sanhedrin was.  You see, the Apostles had been herded in front of the authorities once before this, and told not to preach about Jesus.  And they magically escaped from them that first time.  So this was the second time the authorities summoned them.  Just think about it for a moment.  The authorities arrested, tried, convicted, and executed Jesus using the most painful and humiliating form of execution they had- the cross.  And in the time just after Jesus was buried the Apostles cowered together behind closed doors afraid that they would suffer the same fate as Jesus.  .

But, emboldened by the Resurrection, Jesus’ followers preached fearlessly in Jesus’ name, even after being arrested once, and despite the authorities command to stop.  They were bold and fearless, that’s how real the Resurrection was to them- a life changing experience; an experience that wiped out all fear of what those who run the world could or might do.

Now, in the Gospel, Jesus tells his Apostles early in his 3 year ministry that whoever listens to him, listens to God himself.  He tells them that most everyone will not listen; but everlasting life will be given to those who do listen.  Jesus showed his Apostles that everlasting life was real when he appeared to them in his Resurrected state. After that, nothing could hold them back. No more cowering in an upper room out of fear. The only thing that mattered was their faith in Jesus and following his commands.

This formula is the pattern that has been set for all of us. That’s what the celebration of Easter is all about, reminding us that the same promise made to the Apostles has been made to us.  We have heard about the Resurrection from the multiple Gospel accounts, eye witnesses who spread the word through countless generations to us.  And now, we are being called to be witnesses to the world, not just to the Resurrection, but to all that Jesus said and did during his ministry.

The other day, someone posted a cartoon on Facebook that made a fascinating point.  The cartoon showed Jesus sending his Apostles out two by two after the Resurrection.  And under it was the caption.  “And if they don’t like what you say, change your story”.  But Jesus was not running for office- Jesus was God’s messenger, and God’s word is absolute- not related to what it takes to be popular, and not related to the times.  Jesus words in our Gospel validate that the truth of God’s message takes precedence over everything else.

Did you know that the Government called some of our bishops in to a meeting when the HHS mandate was being considered  and basically told the bishops it was time to for the Church to get with it and come around to the 21st century.  They were pressuring our bishops to do just what the cynical cartoon I mentioned above said to do.  The bishops politely told the HHS no.

We are called to do the same in our lives, to be witnesses for Christ.  God’s word takes precedence, not what is politically correct; not what is expedient; and not what it takes to just get along.

There are lots of opportunities for us to be witnesses.  We may not be called on the carpet in front of the authorities as the Apostles were, but people challenge our Catholic teachings all the time- teachings on Abortion, on marriage, on the Eucharist,  on belief in God, and on the dignity of all human persons.  They challenge us in our jobs, in our social settings, and in our communities.  And we are called to be witnesses of the truth, just as Jesus was in our Gospel.  We are called to speak up, and not be silent on the inconvenient and unpopular truth of the word of God.

And have no fear, because God does not ration his spirit; He will inspire all of us to do and say the right thing if we vow to be his witnesses to the truth.

That’s pretty bold talk, isn’t it?

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Holding on to Easter Joy

April 12th, 2015

2nd Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 4: 32-35; 1 John 5: 1-6; John 20: 19-31

Deacon Larry Brockman

Can you still feel the Joy of Easter, or has last Sunday’s joy passed you by?

 Possibly the parking lot after Mass last week wiped out your joy; or returning to work, or school, or your chores sobered you up, because as soon as you stepped out of this Church with all the fantastic joyous music and the bold and glorious proclamations of the Resurrection accounts, promising life everlasting for those who believe and follow the Gospel, the real world was waiting out there for you, wasn’t it?  And that world is full of non-believers, cynics, and people who are dedicated to just one thing in life- number 1, themselves, and self-gratification. They make a very powerful case for how foolish it is to believe in anything else, not to mention all the details that life here throws at us.

 And so now, just a week later, the promise of life everlasting last week seems so remote and vague in the face of the end of semester test; the PTA conference with little Johnny’s teacher;and the progress report on your work project that was due Friday  that you didn’t get to. What sounds really good is a good stiff drink; a great steak with all the accompaniments; and in fact, anything that is real and tangible- something that the world has to offer, just like all the folks of the world told you.   

 In fact, it may have taken all you could muster to come here again this week. Because time, time is of the essence.  After all, we have only one life to live, right?   

 Well, let me offer another perspective.  As some of you know, I visit a local hospital twice a week to help the Chaplain.  I see so many people there who are experiencing a giant wake up call.  They were in the fast lane of life, and then wham, all of a sudden they find out they have cancer; or old age has caught up with them and they can no longer be independent; or they have had a heart attack or stroke that has left them alarmingly weak; or because of diseases like diabetes, they are going to lose a leg or limb.  All of a sudden life becomes tremendously precious to them.  All of a sudden, they wonder if there is something more than life as we know it, because all of a sudden they realize that their quality of life here is greatly diminished, and in fact, they are going to die, some of them soon.   

 Why did all of you come here last week?  Because you knew that Easter was that one great time of the year in the Church calendar when you would hear about the ultimate promise that we all long for- life everlasting in happiness and joy, especially after we die; and all of us are going to die for sure.   

 Even though the world may have choked out that feeling of joy quickly for all of the reasons I mentioned and more, many of us are back this week, hoping the joy returns.  Well, we do have the same message for you- rejoice because Jesus Resurrection of the body from the dead and his promise that we will all experience a similar Resurrection from the dead,,is real; very real; and following Jesus guarantees us life everlasting.     

 Realistically, that promise is shrouded in the same doubt that Thomas experienced, isn’t it?  We find it hard to believe in the face of the real world we all experienced in this last week since Easter.  But in his genius, Jesus anticipated that doubt, and so, we have today’s Gospel story about Thomas.  So truly, “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.” because the rest of us have nagging doubts.   

 We just spent the 40 days of Lent getting ready for the promise of the Resurrection.  That preparation was supposed to involve a self-examination of our lives, an examination that would reveal where we need to change, that is repent.   

 John says in our second reading, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God”.  So first, we have to believe; believe that Jesus is the Christ, our savior, and that the Resurrection is real.  We have to believe it in order to believe that our everlasting life, which follows that of Jesus, is real.  We have to believe it despite all of our trials and tribulations in this world, despite all of that the cynics and non-believers say and do, and despite the more attractive things of this world that give immediate, although temporary gratification.     

 Then John goes on to say that we need to love God:  And what does that mean?  Well, John says it this way:  “The love of God is this, that we keep his commandments”.  Obedience,  that is what God is big on.  And so we are called today to the same conversion process, believing and repenting, that was the hallmark of Lent.  When we really believe and do God’s will we will experience an underlying joy and peace of mind because God comforts those who are on the right track.   

 But there is something really special about today because today, the Sunday after Easter, has been designated Divine Mercy Sunday.  You see, Our Lord recognized that many of us would still have our doubts; would still be influenced by the world and it’s cynics and pundits, and would need more than the promise on Easter.  Today, we are blessed with something more, and something really special.  Because no matter how far we have strayed; no matter what we have done in the past, Jesus is telling us that mercy triumphs over judgment.  Jesus is promising us the gift of everlasting life and happiness for all who believe, as long as we promise to seek his forgiveness and repent- that is change our lives- from this moment forward.  Jesus is promising all of us mercy no matter what we have done.   

So, Brothers and Sisters, now is the time.  Accept the Divine Mercy offered by Jesus.  Believe in your hearts in the Resurrection.  Seek forgiveness for sins of the past.  Promise to bring your life into accord with God’s commandments from this moment on.  And then experience the underlying joy that comes with knowing that you are forgiven everything, and will live forever in the kingdom of God. 

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Religious “Mugwumps” (U)

April 9th, 2015

Easter Thursday

Acts 3: 11-26; Luke 24: 35-48

Deacon Larry Brockman

So, how important is the Resurrection of Jesus to you?  Is the Resurrection just some religious doctrine that promises you everlasting life in the vague future?  Something that you put on the back burner while you live this life; or is the promise and reality of the Resurrection life changing to you, something that has affected your life style in a meaningful way from the first instance you heard of it?   

There’s a term used in American Politics called “Mugwump”.  It has its origins from an Algonquin Indian term for a great warrior.  But today, it means a person who can’t make up his mind on an issue;  One who has his mug on one side of the fence; and his wump on the other side of it.   

Some people come to Church each week, and celebrate with us.  Others come twice a year- Christmas and Easter.  But then they go back into the world, perfectly content, and even relishing, in the values of the worldly culture.  They are lured by the smug confidence and the commitment of the people of this world in one conviction-  the world is all there is, and one is a fool to not take advantage of it while they can.   

And so, these sometimes Catholics can’t seem to make up their minds.   Do they believe that Jesus gave eternal life to all who believe and follow him?  Or do they live this life for themselves to the fullest?    They are like Thomas, who heard all the prophets predict the death and Resurrection.  He heard Jesus himself predict it.  And yet even after it happened just as Jesus predicted and just as the prophets predicted, Thomas would not believe what the other Apostles told him because he didn’t see first-hand.  Rather, they need proof of the truth – like being able able to put their hands in the side of the risen Christ.  Life and the pleasures of this world seem so much more real to them on Monday then the promise of the Gospel did on Sunday.   

They are also like the Jews in today’s first reading.  Dazzled by the apparent miracle Peter and the Apostles worked.  How fickle that they should believe in Jesus when he entered Jerusalem; then doubt him and call for his execution a week later; then after the resurrection,  blow like the wind back again, attracted to the miracles worked by the Apostles in Jesus name.  But that is how it is with many people, isn’t it.  Their faith is weak.   

Jesus anticipated the Mugwumps of the world.  So he returned to his Apostles a second time when Thomas was there.  And he let Thomas put his hands in his side.  Then he ate a piece of fish- showing that he still had a human body like us but that he had transcended death into a Resurrected state.   

Jesus message I our Gospel today was very clear- the whole message summed up in the last two lines of this Gospel:  “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”  He ends with this:  “You are witnesses of all these things”.   

That’s where all of us come in.  We are to be the witnesses of all this.  We have heard the prediction of the prophets.  We have seen the fulfillment in the Gospel.  We have witnessed the Resurrection through the eyes of the Apostles.  And now, through the strength of our Faith, we need to radiate the certainty of our conviction that the Resurrection has changed our lives.    We need to do this whenever and wherever we relate to the great multitude of sometimes Catholics because we are not Mugwumps.  We are witnesses to all that Jesus said and did. 

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Suffering With Jesus- Our Own Crosses

March 29th, 2015

Palm Sunday

Mark 12: 12-16; Is 50: 4-7; Phil 2: 6-11; Mak 15: 1-39

Deacon Larry Brockman

It’s difficult, isn’t it, listening to such a gruesome account of Jesus suffering and death?  The movie the Passion of Christ a few years back was so vivid in the depiction of the horror of these events;  it too was hard to bear.  And yet, these images come to mind as we hear the yearly proclamation of the Passion.  They are reading a much longer version in our Churches, you know.   This one is abbreviated in the interest of time.  But we all feel the horror of the suffering Jesus went through, even with the shortened version and it is difficult and uncomfortable for us.   

We are all told that Jesus carried the sins of all of us in his suffering and death.  And indeed, when we read the book of Revelation, there are multiple references there to those who are saved having been washed in the blood of the Lamb- the Lamb being our savior Jesus Christ.  So yes, the events we just heard describe how Jesus suffered and died a horrible death and shed his blood for all of us.   

But you know what, God’s primary motivation for sending Jesus was love, not some super accounting scheme to send Jesus to remit our sins so we could all be saved.  And so, we need to understand what the love is all about.  God so loved us that he sent his son to show us the way.  And the way involves suffering and death, not just for Jesus; not just for some of us; but for all of us.  All of us must seek out and find God’s path for us, and then bear with the suffering that is part of our lives.   

God loved us so much that He sent His son to live that message.  Jesus was not spared his lot of suffering; in fact his plate was full.  But if we understand that Jesus is God, and that God doesn’t have to suffer; and yet He was willing to bear human suffering for the sake of all of us, then we get the message.  It is a message of love; the same kind of love that engenders forbearance of suffering for those who care for a loved one; the same kind of love that sacrifices self for the welfare of children; and the same kind of love that motivates a man to work tirelessly to support his family.  Only it’s an infinitely pure love, a love that most of us can’t really conceive of.  It’s love of mankind even when they ignore their God; defy their God; persecute their God; torture their God, and even kill him.   

Today, let us reflect for a few moments on that kind of Love- the love Jesus had for us.  That’s the kind of love all of us are called to practice in this world.   

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On Keeping a Covenant With God

March 26th, 2015

Thursday of 4th Week in Lent

Gen 17:3-9; John 8: 51-59

Deacon Larry Brockman

When will we learn!  When will we learn what it means to keep God’s covenant.   

There is one thing for sure.  There is no question but that God has promised us everlasting life and happiness.  He has done it in the Multiple Covenants he has made with his people over the millennia.  First Adam and Eve, then Noah, then Abraham, and then Moses.  The message was simple each time:  “I will be your God and take care of you forever.  In fact, I will do one better than make a contract with you.  I will make a Covenant with you.”   

You see, a Covenant is an everlasting agreement as opposed to a contract which has escape clauses and finite lengths.  There is always just one thing about God’s covenants.   It is very accurately summed up in our first reading as:  “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”  That means keeping God’s word.  And yet, despite those four covenants between God and His people; the people broke the covenants by straying from God’s word.   

And so, God sent His only son, Jesus, to us.  He sent him in the form of a man, that’s what we call the Incarnation.  “The Word became flesh” as St. John put it.  We didn’t have to listen to third party prophets; rather, we had only to listen directly to the Word of God speaking to us in the flesh.  His Gospels, the Good News, recorded all that he did and said.   

That brings us to today’s Gospel.  The Jewish leaders hung up on Jesus assertion that:  “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never die.”  They still didn’t understand the covenant being offered by God: everlasting life for those who believe in God, His Son, and His Word.  Because people of this world focus on this world; they are skeptical of anything beyond this world.   

Then, there was the clincher.  Because later on in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us a mindboggling truth:  “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”  Some Catholic commentators on the Gospel say that these words are beyond comment, because they tell us unmistakably, in Jesus own words, that he is God.  That means the New Testament Covenant words were spoken with the ultimate authority.   

You know, we are not just observers in all of this history.  We are part of it.  The Gospel was written for our benefit.  God so loved us that he gave His son and the Covenant promise to all of us.  The question is: are we skeptical and looking for worldly solutions?  Or do we believe in and live God’s Word?  Are we keeping His covenant?    Just like the cynical Jewish leaders of Jesus time, our world is full of cynics and unbelievers.  They demand proof in human terms rather than accept on Faith; they apply humanity’s limited logic and reason to divine law rather than accept that God means what he says; and they value and glorify only things that are of this world; rather than value the Covenant promise of life everlasting.  Some of them claim alternate revelation from God that denies Jesus is both God and man.  They “stone” those who believe by persecuting them, ridiculing them, bullying them, and even putting them to death.   

So, when are we going to learn what it means to keep God’s covenant?  When we learn to believe; and to follow God’s word no matter what happens to us.

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Faith Versus the Law

March 19th, 2015

Thursday of the 4th Week in Lent

Feast of St. Joseph

2 Sam 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4: 13, 16-18, 22; Mt 1: 16, 18-21, 24a

Deacon Larry Brockman

Have you ever noticed how distorted the “law” can become at the expense of the intent of the law?   

Income tax law is a good example.  The intent is that all persons making income pay a fair share of their income as tax to support the Government.  Simple enough- but different factions have scrambled to define what the “fair share” is; and so, over the years, our income tax law has become terribly complex and contorted.  There are all kinds of exemptions, credits, special cases, variable rates, and other provisions which have found their way into our tax law, so that it is unclear who, if anybody, is really paying a fair share.   

The same thing is happening now with regard to laws that mandate how health care will be applied; and how marriage will be defined.  It is not clear how well the principle of doing “what is right” is being applied in either of these areas by our secular authorities.   

You see, no matter how well-meaning we are in applying the principle of “what is right”, if we lose sight of the primary motivation, then things will go awry.  With regard to moral law, the underlying motivation should be God’s natural law.  The Mosaic law; our national system of laws; and even the Islamic Sharia law, are all supposed to be based on God’s natural law.  But when mankind gets a hold of the first principles and defines the details, the results can, and do often get distorted.   

That’s why our second reading makes a very important point:  That God’s covenants with us are not primarily based on law; but rather on Faith.  If we have Faith in God’s word to us, then we will listen to God; trust in God; and act in accordance with the spirit of God’s word to us.  That is what we need to do to merit the fruits of the covenant.  For Christians, those fruits are everlasting life.   

So living in faith is not the same thing as living according to the law; because strict compliance with the details of the Mosaic law and secular law are not necessarily the same as following the word of God in faith.  I think another example would help.   

This is the feast of Joseph.  The Mosaic law was quite clear to St. Joseph at the time:  His betrothed wife was pregnant; and he was not the Father.  There were two possible remedies according to the law.  Go to the authorities and turn Mary in, which would have shamed her and possibly resulted in her being stoned to death; or quietly divorce her, which was his plan.    But Joseph did neither- because he was moved by the Spirit of God through the dream in which the angel appeared to him.  Joseph had faith in, and trusted in, God’s word to him and did not act according to the law.  This act of faith by Joseph ranks with Abraham’s faith in importance in human history; else Jesus Christ would not have entered into the world.   

We live in very interesting times.  For centuries now, Christians have lived their lives according to the law.  It was law that properly reflected the natural law of God.  But times are changing as the world becomes more pluralistic and secular.  Almost weekly we hear about Christians who are persecuted for living their faith, and even martyred for their faith.  It is even happening in this country- such as the owners of Hobby Lobby, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and Catholic Adoption agencies who refuse to allow same-sex couples to adopt children, can attest.     

All of us, like King David, are being called to build a house for the Lord.  The house is our bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit.  As such, we are called to hold firm and live by faith, and not blindly according to the “law”.   

Our hope is the promise afforded by God’s covenant with us- the New Covenant promise of everlasting life for those who live by faith.  The rewards are great as predicted by Nathan the prophet:  “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever”. 

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