NEW LIFE

This evening I had the privilege to proclaim the reading from Romans at the Easter Vigil at my parish.  Romans 6:3-11 is my favorite reading. Why? It is the culmination of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection.  It is why He came to earth, to destroy death. 
In this passage we hear that, "...death no longer has power over him." Because of this, death no longer has power over us also.  It does not hold us bound.  We will live with Christ.
This is also a comforting passage as I think of those who have gone before me in my family and in community.  I know that they are living the newness of life that God promises. 
Rejoice this Easter Season!  Christ is Risen! Alleluia.

Happy Easter.

THE LOVE AND MERCY OF GOD

A reflection I gave last week.

When we are born, we are so innocent.  We do not know how to judge others or to condemn them. Yet these behaviors are learned as we grow.

In the gospel Jesus teaches the Scribes and Pharisees to stop being so judgemental and to start examining their own inability to love their neighbor.  We have heard so many times in scripture how the Pharisees and Scribes in their self righteousness always points out the failings of everyone else and never look at their own sins and weaknesses.

"Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone."  As we heard in the reading, all the woman's accusers walked away.  Jesus, the one with out sin who could condemn, is the one left with the woman.  However, he neither condemns nor accuses her.  Instead he shows mercy and love.  Jesus offers forgiveness, not punishment.

The Scribes and Pharisees were willing to hold the adulterous woman bound in her sin and shame and stone her to death.  When we pass judgement or condemn others, or choose not to forgive, we hold them bound in their sin or whatever we see as a failing.  We also hold ourselves bound in our inability to love enough in order to forgive.  Yet when we show forgiveness, we release the other and ourselves to a freedom that shows the love of God in our lives.  Jesus instructs the woman to go and sin no more.  Imagine the relief she felt: relief from the burden of her sin; relief from her fear of being caught; relief from being stoned to death.  Each time we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation we also have the opportunity to go and sin no more.  Oh, if only we could do that!  In our human weakness we will continue to sin again and again.  Just as Jesus shows how much he loves the adulterous woman, so also does he show us extravagant love when we take on the role of a Pharisee or a sinner.

In this last full week of Lent and the days leading up to the Triduum, may we fast from judging others and condemning.  May we show the mercy and love of God that is so needed wherever we are.

Spiritual Dying

Here is a reflection I gave to our sisters a couple of weeks ago.

What kind of death have you ever experienced or may be experiencing right now?  Spiritual Death is defined as separation from God.  However, I would like to look at this a little differently.
Lazarus was physically dead, but have you ever thought about the spiritual death that Mary and Martha were experience4ing?  "Why didn't you come sooner?  If only you had been here our brother would not have died."  Mary of Bethany never did lose hope when she proclaimed that she believed that Jesus was the Son of God, the one who came into the world.

Like Lazarus, who was all bound up by the wrappings on his body, so too can we be bound up by our spiritual dyings.  Physical diminishment, death of a family member can make us fee sad or angry.  We may cry or grieve.  All are natural responses.  But happens when these responses are so great that we cry out to God, "Where are you?  Why did this happen?"  We can despair, lose hope in God or even become depressed.  We can be so wrapped tightly bound that we experience spiritual death.

When my brother-in-law died in December, my sister said, "What good were all our prayers?"

Jesus came not to free us not only from physical death, but also from spiritual death.  He cannot change our physical diminishments, nor stop our physical dying.  Jesus came so we can have life; spiritual life with him now and in heaven.

Jesus said that he is the resurrection and the life. He promised that he would always be with us.  We know that we can turn to him to give new life to our spiritual dyings.  It can happen quickly or it may happen gradually.  But if we hold on to the hope, love, and strength that comes to us through Jesus, we will experience new life here and now. 

CONSEQUENCES

I often remind my students that they are responsible for the consequences of their actions, whether good or bad.  Jesus reminds the people that if they do not repent, the consequence will be that they will perish.  In the parable of the fig tree we hear that the owner of the orchard was impatient because after three years the tree did not produce any fruit.  He told the gardener to cut it down.  The gardener, however, tells the owner to be patient, and after one more year if it does not produce fruit, it will regrettably be cut down.

We are like the fig tree. We are called to be fruitful in our lives.  We can be fruitful by how we are with others in our families, our ministries, our places of work, and in our own spiritual lives.  Yet, in our human weaknesses we sometimes fail.  Just as the gardener asks for patience in giving the tree one more year, so also does Jesus have patience with us.  He calls us to repentance and healing. Jesus waits for us to turn our bad choices around and produce good fruit by making good choices for ourselves.  Just as the gardener was willing to cultivate and fertilize the soil, we also must be willing to cultivate our lives with prayer, reconciliation and good works.  Lent is a season in which we can do this.  Jesus' message to repent is urgent.  Each one of us responsible for the consequences of our actions.