It’s All About the Name!

June 19th, 2011

Trinity Sunday

Ex 34: 4b-6, 8-9; 2 Cor 13: 11-13; Jn 3: 16-18

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

It’s all about the name! 

Now, for a moment, consider your own names.  How did you get them and what do they mean?  First, there is the Family name.  The root of some of your names probably refers to an attribute or skill.  I have been told that my family name’s roots are in brick laying skills, for example.  Others are named after their parents- like for example Erickson- son of Eric.  The point is that each person’s name meant something- it was a way to define, to identify, who they were.  As we became more numerous- the family name wasn’t enough to identify us.  There were a whole lot of Smiths and Whites and Carpenters, for example.  And so, we added one or more other names.  These were often chosen to honor someone in our families.  We say, for example that so and so is named after their Grandfather.  Others are named after some hero or popular personality.  And so, identity and honor are two main attributes of names.  That is basically a trend that God instilled in us- because He wanted us to honor and respect His name and identity.   

Now, in the first reading, the Lord comes down out of a cloud and the first thing He does is to proclaim His own name!  He simply says- “Lord”, or in Hebrew “Yahweh”, meaning “I am who am”; the self-existent; the Eternal one.  And then He repeats that name several times for emphasis.  This name was considered so Holy and awesome by the Israelis that they wouldn’t even say it aloud.  And so, we have a hint about why God wants us to know Him by name.  God the Father wants us to know Him, honor Him, and respect Him and to recognize His identity at all times.  In fact, the first several commandments, which were about to be handed down on those stones we heard about, lay it all out for us:  I am your God; have no false Gods; and show me respect by not taking my name in vain and by honoring me on the Sabbath. 

God the Father is the one who is eternal, who existed before anything else, and who will always exist; and the one who made everything.  Indeed, He wants us to know Him for that- who He is and what He has done.  He wants us to know and accept His name!  When you think about how awesome the one and only God is, how can you possibly do otherwise?   

Now God made everything that is, and it was all made out of Love so He could share it with His creation.  Paul reminds us of that in the second reading.  There he greets the Corinthians with a fascinating reference to the Trinity when he says:  “The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”  How many times have we heard that- but do we understand it. 

We have just heard how God the Father gave emphasis to His name.  But in the Gospel, importance of the name of God comes up again.  We are told by John that unless we believe in the name of the only Son of God, we cannot be saved.  Now lots of people hang up on this statement.  Are we to take it literally?  First of all, consider what the name “Jesus” means.  This is the name the angel Gabriel told Mary that her child should be named.  And it means- Jehovah, the Lord, is Salvation.  “Christ” means the anointed one, or chosen one.  So Jesus Christ is God from whom Salvation comes; and He is the chosen person in Human form to be the Savior. 

We know that believing in the Name means a couple of things:  It means believing in the identity of the name; and it means respecting the name and giving it honor.   And so it is essential for everyone to believe that the one true God is the Salvation of the World and to respect Him, as symbolized by respecting His name.  Those who do these things believe in His name.  Those who believe in His name will be saved.   

Now we hear that Paul also hopes that the grace of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be with us.  These are the things that God the Father gave us out of love.  The Grace of Jesus Christ is captured by the life of Jesus Christ- the Gospel.  We need to live the example of that Gospel to be in that grace.  And the Holy Spirit works within us to bring us out of ourselves and to love each other; and share our Christian Joy with others.   

It occurs to me that this is what our families are all about.  Moms and dads share the Love of God and the Grace of Jesus Christ; and through the Spirit dwelling in them, they pass on the name of God and the message of the Gospel to their Children.  The family is the living expression of the Trinity.  And so what better way for us to celebrate Father’s Day than to celebrate the Trinity. 

Our fathers play the role of God the Father in our family.  They are the initiators of new life; they are responsible for loving their spouse and their family; and they act as role models by showing the grace of Jesus Christ as they interact with their Children and the outside world  through the inspiration of the Spirit.   

And so, my wish to fathers out there today this Father’s day is simply this:  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you Dad’s out there today. 

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Forgiveness Out of Love

June 16th, 2011

Thursday of 11th Week in Ordinary Time

2 Cor 11: 1-11; Mt 6: 7-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Forgiveness!  This morning, Jesus puts unmistakable emphasis on Forgiveness.  First he teaches us how to pray:  Keep it simple- say what you mean; and don’t babble.  Give praise and Glory to God; and recognize that God’s will is best for us.  That is followed by the forgiveness part:  “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.  And finally, “deliver us from evil”.   

But notice that after the prayer, Jesus is very explicit that we will not be forgiven unless we forgive. Wow!  And that is the hard part, isn’t it, at least speaking for myself.  Yes, it is hard for me to forgive people who continually hurt me.  And it seems as if there are some people out there who are determined, even dedicated, to be contrary over and over again.  And no matter how many times I tell myself to forgive them, something will come up again, and yet again.  I saw a movie yesterday that illustrates what I mean.  There was a person who played the violin each night just because he knew it irritated his neighbor.  When the neighbor died; this man stopped playing the violin!  In fact, he became depressed because he had derived such pleasure from tormenting his neighbor,  that he didn’t know what to do with himself when the neighbor was gone.     

I bet that all of you out there have this kind of problem with someone.  As a parent, we hear our kids complain about their brothers and sisters teasing them or hitting them or something;  And nagging parents or spouses or siblings fit this bill; so do many bosses or clients or teachers.  And then there are the politicians!     

But you know, we are often blind to our own weaknesses, and so, it is fair to say that we are all probably a thorn of this kind in someone else’s side too- all of course, except me!  I never do anything to irritate anyone else!    And that brings me to Jesus’ main point- humility.  Forgiveness and humility go hand in hand.  All of us need to forgive everything everybody else does to us no matter how often it is done or how sinister it is, because all of us are sinners and are guilty of the same thing.  When, in all humility, we recognize the fact of our sinfulness, even though we may be blind to the depth and details of that sinfulness, then we can make a true confession and expect to be forgiven by God.  But, that humility demands that we forgive others as we would hope to be forgiven, otherwise,we are not being honest in our own relationship with God.   

In our first reading, Paul demonstrates the kind of forgiveness I have been talking about.  Paul has put himself out for the Corinthians.  And yet, they have challenged his authority; they have listened to others preach behind his back.  And yet Paul forgives them- he writes them and asks for a return to harmony.  At the end of that reading, Paul says something very profound.  He tells us why we must forgive others.  We need to forgive for the same reason that Jesus forgives- out of Love. 

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What is Real Unity?

June 9th, 2011

Thursday of 7th Week of Easter

Acts 22: 30, 23: 6-11; John 17: 20-26

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Unity! Christian Unity is the theme of today’s Gospel.  Jesus is praying that all people- those of His time and those who hear about him from His disciples- that all such people, might be one- ONE. 

And what does He mean by being one?  Well, Jesus says:  “So that they may all be one, as you Father are in me, and I in you.”  Just exactly how can we do our part to fulfill that prayer?  How can you and I be so unified with each other that God the Father dwells in us in the same way that He dwells in Jesus, and such that we are all one harmonious entity- the Body of Christ?  I think that Jesus was praying that not only would His disciples believe in common what He had taught them without their being contentions between them, but that they would put that belief into practice by each of them complementing each other  In going forth and Baptizing all nations.  Jesus is advocating the kind of teamwork one sees in a well- coached sports team.  There, as an ideal, each person works selflessly and tirelessly for the common goal with all the other teammates.     

Now in our first reading, we have a perfect example of the lack of such unity among “believers” in this World as Paul uses a clever ruse to escape his captors.  He pits the Sadducees (who don’t believe in the Resurrection) and the Pharisees (who do believe in it) against each other.  But the Jews, whether Pharisees or Sadducees, had so much more in common with each other than they had differences; especially when comparing the differences between themselves  and the Romans or the Egyptians or the Greeks.  That’s what makes the example in this reading so fascinating when it is paired with the Gospel call for unity.  Because these two factions within the Jews were anything but unified- they were ready to tear each other apart.   

It is no different today with us, is it- Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. all share so much of the same Faith, and yet, we are hardly unified?  But before we can deal with the interdenominational unity problem, we must look within, because, indeed, our unity must begin “at home”- right here in our Parish.  Some of us are not joiners- our Faith is expressed as an individual thing.  Other folks are involved in one or more ways in Parish Groups.  We have prayer groups, men’s groups, ladies groups, social action groups, and all kinds of educational groups.  While each individual and each of these groups may be doing great work, the question remains- are we all working together as the unified body of Christ?   And can we do that better- develop our unity?  There are several things we need to get to the kind of unity Jesus is talking about.  First, we need the inspiration of the Holy Spirit- and that is coming shortly at Pentecost.  Second, we need an attitude that accepts that “I don’t have the answer; but rather, we have the answer”, because no matter how directed and fruitful we are as individuals or groups, God needs all of us to build the body of Christ.  Lastly, we need Love, a real love expressed towards each other.  Indeed Jesus ends his prayer this way, as he says:  “That the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”   

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Learning to Wait a “Little While”

June 2nd, 2011

 

Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter

Acts 18: 1-8; John 16: 16-20

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

A period of turmoil! That’s what our life on earth is, a period of turmoil.  The reading from Acts describes some of the turmoil of the birth of the Church.  People are persecuted by the authorities; some reject the message of the Apostles; while doing his evangelical mission, people like Paul must continue to work at their trade, and that means Paul lives basically mouth-to-mouth in his mission of evangelization as he travels around the area.  It is a chaotic time, the birth of the Church.  Jesus Gospel message all but says that the Apostles should expect this; that they will feel like they have been abandoned- Jesus will be gone for an uncertain “little while”, they will be left on their own without the physical presence of Jesus to guide them day by day as they had become accustomed to, to give them constant inspiration and guidance.  And yet, Jesus is telling them to hold up, stand tall, be firm, endure, because their weeping and mourning will turn to joy. 

This message apples equally well to us today.  In the course of our lives, our mission, we will miss the presence of our Lord and savior.  It will seem like he is gone to us.  True, we never saw and talked to and felt the physical presence of the Lord as the Apostles did.  But we have the Scriptures that remind us of His life and presence among us, and the Resurrection and everlasting life, and the Spirit who will descend on us at Pentecost.  Even more importantly, we have the Eucharist, which is His real presence whenever we want it. 

But still, there will be times when we will feel abandoned.  Times when we are depressed over our sinfulness; or when we are faced with the difficulties and problems of life; or we lose a loved one or something very dear to us.  In these times, we may feel abandoned.  It is then that we need to recall these words of Jesus to his faithful:  “But your grief will become joy”! 

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What Does Salvation Really Mean?

May 8th, 2011

 

3rd Sunday of Easter

Acts 2: 14, 22-33; 1 Peter 1: 17-21; Lk 24: 13-35

Dc. Larry Brockman

Just what is our salvation all about, have you ever really thought about that?    For the Jews in ancient time, who eagerly awaited their Messiah, salvation meant restoration of the glory days of Israel, the days of King David and King Solomon.  They were looking for a worldly Messiah.  Jesus didn’t fit that bill at all.  In fact, Jesus suffered one of the most humiliating and desecrating deaths that a Jew could suffer- death by hanging on a tree.  Jewish scriptures could easily be cited that implied a person who suffered such a death could not be from God.  And so, most of the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah- and with righteous conviction, they rejected Jesus based on their own scriptures.  So, what is so amazing is that Christianity established any roots at all in such a difficult environment- a Jewish people whose scriptures and culture rejected Jesus as an outcast living in a secular Roman state whose only recognized God was Caesar and multiple mythical imperfect gods.  There simply must have been something to Christianity, there must have been something that really happened, something that was so significant that it transformed those who became exposed to Jesus with such tremendous conviction that they were willing to endure anything for their Faith.  I believe that the Easter event, which we continue to celebrate this week and for several more weeks, is it- that is, it is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.   

And just what is so special about Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ; and just what was so transforming about his message and the Easter event?   I think it was a realization of something very, very profound.  It was a glimpse of the certainty of something, the certainty of something that otherwise seemed so unreal, unintuitive, and even impossible-  the fulfillment of the Covenant promising salvation and everlasting life.  Yes, everlasting life was proven a certainty by the Resurrection!   

Now the Jews of Jesus time were split on the resurrection and after life.  Some, like the Pharisees, believed in an after life; others- the Sadducees, did not.  These competing groups would argue about it; but they didn’t know what it was like.  They hadn’t experienced a resurrected person.  All they could do was speculate.  But that all changed on the first Easter Sunday and for 40 or so days afterward because hundreds of people, people like you and I, actually saw the resurrected Jesus.  And that was a transforming event because it did two things.  First, it opened their eyes to the fact that this was the real promise to the Jews of a Messiah and Salvation all along.  That is why Peter quotes King David this morning- Peter proves that David’s words in scripture are not about an earthly salvation and the restoration of an earthly kingdom, but rather, they are about a new life in the everlasting Kingdom of God.  Peter openly argues that the words of David simply cannot be about restoration of David’s Kingdom, as the Jews had always interpreted them.  Why- because the earthly Messiah, like all other human beings, will suffer corruption?  The Holy One, the True Messiah, according to David, will not suffer corruption.  Jesus resurrected body validated the incorruptible after life.  And this eye opening realization would revolutionize the way the other Old Testament Scriptures were read as well.  That is a major point in today’s Gospel- we hear how Jesus personally interpreted all the scriptures in the Jewish Old Testament that talked about himself as the Messiah.  Indeed, this realization of the fulfillment of the Covenant was a cause of great joy, because it made the entire tradition of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David and Solomon instantly relevant.  Not only that, Jesus resurrection meant that the covenant had just been fulfilled in their own times- they were seeing it.  It was real, and it felt real.   

But that wasn’t all.  In addition, Jesus was the living proof of the reality of everlasting life.  Jesus proved he was alive; that he was not a ghost; and that he could eat and drink.  Despite his mortal wounds and entombment for 3 days, he was very much alive and in a transformed, incorruptible state.  There were hundreds of witnesses to all of that.  But more than that, Jesus promised repeatedly in his resurrection appearances that those who repented of their old way of life, believed in Him, and followed His teaching, would share in the everlasting life that He, Jesus, was living.   

So, these two realities, the fulfillment of the Old Testament Covenant and the Living Resurrected Christ, made the Resurrection the transforming event it was to those who saw and heard it at the time.  They were forever changed, because they believed; they were convinced; it was so real to them; that no matter what would happen to them in this world, they were guaranteed, through Faith, everlasting life.   

The Gospels and New Testament Scriptures record all of this for our benefit, and our Church, through the Church Calendar each year, commemorates and relives this wonderful Easter event.   We who are living some 2000 years later are privileged to the same promise.  It should be just as transforming for us.  But is it? 

Now one of the things that people often discuss these days is the afterlife.  Does it exist, and if so, what is it like.  People share “God incidents” in which they may have experienced the presence of God when they are in the Adoration Chapel, or dreams or visions of their relatives who are deceased; or little things that happen that are signs in answer to prayers of intercession; and some folks have near death experiences, and have lived to tell about wonderful glimpses of an afterlife.  Other folks haven’t experienced any of that, and some people might even be skeptical of those who do.  It’s like most of us want to believe in the Resurrection and the promise of life after death, but deep down, we still long for proof. 

But actually, we don’t really need any of these experiences or any new proof to convince us of our salvation.  We have the Easter story- and that is why we spend 40 days each year celebrating Easter.  It comes down to a very simple thing in the end.  Recall the end of today’s Gospel story on Thomas.  Jesus tells Thomas:  “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”.  Yes, blessed are we who just believe even though we have not seen.    

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Recognizing the “Higher Authority”

May 5th, 2011

 

Thursday of the 2nd Week of Easter

Acts 5: 27–33; John 3: 31-36

Dc. Larry Brockman

A higher authority- the Apostles told the authorities that they owed their obedience to a higher authority.  This, it seems to me is a really difficult teaching for us.  Not so much on the surface of the matter but because in today’s society, our American system teaches all of us to question authority, and to do what we feel is right, letting our conscience be the guide.  So, as a people, we have been trained to pick and choose which rules we will follow, and which rules the “higher authority” of our conscience overrides.  The trouble is that the “Higher Authority” we are talking about this morning is God, not the spirit of independence and self-determination that seems to be the hallmark of American Society.  There is a difference, a profound difference, between the two.   

As Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, what comes from above, from God, is trustworthy.  And whoever listens to that merits life. In today’s world, a very secular and pluralistic society, we find ourselves confronted with lots of tough issues- right to life; fertility issues; the efficacy of our tax laws; health care; the economic implications of runaway spending; and freedom of speech to name a few.  There are laws that cover each of these areas to be sure.  And there are interpretations of these laws by secular experts.  But, as believing Catholics living in the 21st century,  How should we vote?  For what should we lobby?  And when and how should we make our voices known?     

Our biggest problem is knowing what God has said, because there are so many issues to deal with.  That’s why we have a Church Teaching authority.  As Catholics, we need to educate ourselves on what God’s word and what God’s position is on these issues.  It is not easy- but it is part of our responsibility as Catholics.  I participated in Why Catholic this past Lent.  It is a good start- because it uses the Catechism as a basis.  But it was not very well attended.  For those who are not otherwise involved, I urge you to think very seriously about joining one of these groups next time.  We all need to listen to God.  The ultimate Higher Authority. 

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Showing Mercy

May 1st, 2011

 

Second Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 2: 42-47; 1 Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Mercy.  Mercy can be difficult for us.  Sometimes we get so caught up in our own suffering that the last thing on our minds is being merciful to others.  I have had some considerable discomfort over the last month  as I have undergone treatment for kidney stones.  I found myself focused on that suffering, and less concerned about others.  But, as I pondered on it during Holy Week, I realized that when that happened, when I became preoccupied with my own pains, then that is the best time for me to think about God’s goodness to me. 

First, Jesus clearly suffered and died a horrible death through no fault of his own.  And, any suffering I experience pales by comparison to what Jesus endured for me.  Second, while I may be suffering at some point in time, God has given me many gifts as well- Family, friends, a good home, and many, many other blessings, not the least of which is my Faith in Jesus and the promise of eternal life that comes from the Resurrection.  Indeed, when you keep in mind God’s immense gifts to us, then we are able to bear with the hardships of life – because we have the right perspective. 

This is what St Peter means when he says that we rejoice in God’s mercy   “Although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials.”   Those trials are not outside the scope of God’s wisdom – he allows them for a reason. This is true even of seemingly petty, everyday trials. Such things, in fact, have made sinners into saints.

Consider, for example, a monk, named Dositheus. He was a sixth century monk whose job in the monastery was to care for the sick members of the community.  The sick monks were just as ornery in their sufferings as normal people, preoccupied with their suffering.  Probably just as ornery as I was the last couple of weeks!  This orneriness grated on Dositheus.  When this happened, Dositheus would lose his patience and speak harshly to his brother monks.   Then, filled with remorse, he would run to his room, throw himself on the floor, weep bitter tears, and beg for God’s mercy. His genuine contrition allowed divine grace to work within him.  And so, over time, and with God’s help, Dositheus eventually overcame his ill-temper   and became so kind, patient, and cheerful that he filled even the sick and suffering monks with his contagious joy.  Dositheus learned to be truly merciful, and was canonized a saint for it[1].  

If we think often about God’s immense goodness and mercy to us, we, too, will be able to rejoice even amidst our trials, because we will know that they are, somehow, part of his plan for our lives.   They are part of the goodness God gives to us- they are part of God’s mercy.  They are a teaching kind of mercy.  You know, this kind of mercy is revealed in today’s Readings.  First of all, consider the Gospel reading.  The Apostles had been especially selected by Jesus.  Yet they abandoned Jesus after the Last Supper.  They fell asleep while He prayed at Gethsemane; they scattered when He was arrested, leaving Him behind; and at the beginning of today’s Gospel, they had gathered in a locked room- confused, afraid of the authorities, conflicted by what some of them had heard about- the Resurrection.  Indeed, in every sense of the word they were depressed and out of sorts and focused on their own pain.  And yet, what did Jesus do when He appeared to the Apostles?   Although they had abandoned Jesus in his most difficult hour, Jesus wasn’t going to abandon them.   Instead, he passes through the locked doors, passes through their fears, regret, and guilt, and appears to them.  Jesus sought them out and brings them his peace.   And he reaffirms his confidence in them by reaffirming their mission:   “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  We also see God’s mercy in Christ’s reaction to the men who had crucified him.    Did he come back and crush them in revenge?  No.  Instead, he sends out his Apostles to tell them – and to tell the whole sinful world,  the world that had crucified its God –  that they can be redeemed, that God has not condemned them:   And then, just to make sure that the Church is fully armed to communicate this message, Jesus gives the ultimate revelation of God’s mercy –  He delegates to his Apostles his divine power to forgive sins:   “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”    Through the institution of the sacrament of Confession, we all receive the limitless mercy of God,  A gift which overwhelms any misery we may experience in our lives  Because we merit everlasting life and joy by our reconciliation with God.   It was the ultimate revelation of Divine Mercy. This is how God has treated us.  Not because we deserved it, but because his goodness is so great and so overflowing that he wanted to give us the greatest gift he could think of: a share in his own divine life,  a real membership in the heavenly kingdom, forever.

Today, as we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, our hearts should be full of simple, childlike gratitude.  The Eucharist is Christ’s pledge to us of the glory to come.  Today, when we receive this pledge in Holy Communion,  Let’s thank God for his mercy and his generosity, from the bottom of our hearts.  But let’s not just thank him with words.  Because if our King and God has treated us with such overwhelming goodness, giving us much more than we deserve, then we should strive to do the same for those around us. 

There are three simple ways we can do this, three ways we can act on God’s grace and make ourselves bearers of God’s mercy.  First, we can forgive people who offend, insult, or harm us, even when we think they don’t deserve to be forgiven – just as Christ does every time we come to confession.  Second, we can give others a gift, an opportunity, or a kindness, even when we think they have done nothing to deserve one – just as Christ will do for us today with Holy Communion.  Third, we can patiently bear with the imperfections and irritations we see in those around us- just as Christ does with each one of us every single moment of every single day.  The more we become like Christ in his mercy, through the power of his grace, the more we will experience the “indescribable and glorious joy” that he died to win for us in his Divine Mercy.

[1] Aapted from Saintly Solutions, by Fr Joseph Esper (Sophia Institute Press, 2001.]

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How Easter Should Transform Us

April 28th, 2011

 

Thursday of Easter Week

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

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Transforming!  That’s what the Resurrection event became for the Apostles- transforming.  From a group of everyday regular folks- fisherman, tax collectors, and average Joes, the Apostles were transformed into courageous men of Faith who went out and evangelized despite warnings from the authorities.  Today, we hear about this transformation in our readings. 

In the Gospel, we hear about the beginning of the transformation.  These Apostles were huddled together in an upper room on the evening of the resurrection event.  They were afraid, confused, demoralized, and conflicted; pondering about what they had heard and what some of them had seen.  But then, Jesus appeared in person, and validated the rumors.  Here in the flesh, touchable, and able to eat just like the rest of them, was this man who had been arrested, tried, severely beaten, tortured, crucified, and buried.  They had seen it all- they were witnesses to all of the horror.  It all seemed impossible- but it was real.  Now, they were witnesses to the reality of the Resurrection.  And it brought them incredible joy. 

And so then we hear about Peter and the others in the Acts of the Apostles at a time just a few days later.  They were working miracles and speaking out.  Peter, who denied Christ three times; and the other Apostles, who wouldn’t even show their faces; these men had been transformed into fearless men who are spreading joy, and don’t care what the consequences are in their secular society.  That is what the Easter event meant to the Apostles.  It was transforming.   

All of us are in the middle of our Easter event.  How seriously are we taking it?  Has it become a transforming event in our lives?  You see, we are also called upon to be witnesses, witnesses of what happened, yes, because the reports have been maintained in the Gospels and by tradition these 2000 years.  But what is really important, is that we believe and allow ourselves to be transformed by projecting that we really do believe with Easter Joy! 

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Understanding Suffering

April 21st, 2011

 

Holy Thursday Reflection

2011

Suffering!  Suffering is something that all of us avoid, and yet, none of us can avoid it totally, can we?  It can be physical suffering- an illness or operation; it can be emotional suffering- pressures by family or circumstances; or it can be any of the other forms that suffering takes.  And yet, when I listen to the passion of Christ, which we hear a couple of times during Holy Week, and which we commemorated in devotion through the Stations of the Scriptural Cross on all of the Fridays of Lent, it brings the suffering that Christ endured for the sins of the world into such clear focus.  It reminds me that no matter what I am called to suffer, it pales by comparison to the suffering of Jesus.  Jesus understood that His work, the work of salvation, would be made perfect as he subjugated His will to the will of the Father, even if that meant suffering humiliation and pain and torture and death- which it did.  That’s a lesson all of us need to learn.  That in the course of our lives, we will encounter suffering related to the will of God.  And our mission in life is to accept it, because it is part of what all of us need to do in being made perfect in the eyes of God.  Why?  Because just like Jesus, what awaits us if we are obedient is the glory that Jesus paved the way for all of us to receive as sons and daughter of God. 

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Jesus True Sacrifice on the Cross

April 8th, 2011

 

April 8, 2011

Stations of the Cross Reflection

Dc. Larry Brockman

He was a man who endured much suffering.  Nothing could be clearer to us than that   After pondering the readings for each of the stations tonight, it is clear Jesus suffered in mind, body, and spirit.  He was falsely accused, betrayed, and misunderstood.  He was physically abused, taunted, and humiliated.  And finally, he was tortured and put to death in the most painful way the authorities knew of.  But something else was clear in the readings.  He was in love.  True God and True Man, Jesus loved His own creation, mankind, so much that he suffered for us, and took on our own infirmities.  Indeed, Jesus shows us the way.  Every human life, and that includes yours and mine, will experience suffering and pain.  The secret is to accept the pain and suffering that is part of our lives in the same spirit as Jesus accepted it.  Because our bodies are imperfect; our minds imperfect, and our world is imperfect, the consequences of living God’s will for us will always mean a mix of good times and bad times, of joy and suffering.  Jesus accepted his cross with love, and a sense of joy.  Yes, he was afraid- that was what Gethsemane was all about.  Yes, he was disappointed in his Apostles and followers-  they fell asleep while he prayed, and then abandoned him.  But it didn’t matter.  He accepted the cross out of love, love for all of creation.  The last couple of weeks of Lent are a good time for us to reflect on our own suffering.  We will experience it; it is part of life.  But, we need to accept it with the same spirit as the Lord did.  Illnesses, stress, bad breaks in the world, and stupid mistakes- these are a few of the things that cause us suffering.  What makes us truly Christian disciples of Jesus is our attitude towards them.  Can we love even when we are afflicted, as Jesus did?  Can we endure, even when we are in pain as Jesus did?  Yes we can; because we know that Jesus will always be there for us for ever and ever. 

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