Our Continuing Mission

Third Sunday of Easter, 2016:

• Acts 5:27-32
• Revelation 11:11-14
• John 21:1-19

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Third Sunday of Easter, 2016

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas April 10, 2016

As I'm sure most of you know I always do a certain amount of research and reading before writing these homilies. It happened that I'm reading a homily by a Deacon Ross Braudoin who uses a word I can't recall ever seeing before, and the word is reprise, (spelt, reprise) my dictionary wasn't much help because it didn't have the word either. The best I could come up with was that it's like retelling the story or a development of the story that comes to a final conclusion.

I have heard father Statz say from time to time that good music, or a good homily or a good story is always worth retelling, so is the case with our gospel stories. Deacon Ross, concluded that there are many reprises in the gospels, because these Gospels were written many decades after the initial incidents took place and the Gospel writers were aware of nuances in the stories that were used to instruct the people for which that particular gospel was written.

In the events we hear recounted today, Jesus and seven disciples are at the sea of Tiberius. The seven are fishing. This story is a reprise of a similar incident recorded earlier in which the disciples were also fishing. Then, they had caught nothing. In each case, Jesus instructs the disciples were to fish ... and result is an astonishing large catch.

In the first instance, Jesus used the catch to tell the disciples that they would become "fishers of men." They would bring into the reign of God those who would follow the Lord.

The disciples left everything to follow Jesus.

In the reprise of the catch of fish, Jesus builds on the teachings of the earlier catch. The disciples are ready for a new understanding and a new calling. First, we note that this whole scene takes place in this setting of hospitality. This is a Eucharistic scene. Jesus is the host who welcomes and feed the guests. "A charcoal fire with fish and bread" was very welcoming to fishermen who had spent the night on the sea.

Looking at the course of events and dialogue in this scene, we find a number of important reasons that this was added to the end of John's Gospel (whose first conclusion we read last week).

First, Jesus makes it clear that, as the risen Lord, He is truly a risen human person, not a spirit-person or an apparition. He builds a fire, prepares a meal and has breakfast with them.

Next, the catch of fish gives a lesson. The enormous quantity of fish is a reminder of the gracious bounty of God. Always, with Jesus there is not just enough, there is an abundance, even leftovers.

Finally, the dialogue between Jesus and Peter restates that Peter is to be leader of the disciples. That fact itself is a gracious gift. Peter denied Jesus three times. Peter may now have doubts as to his role among the disciples. Jesus makes it clear that He knows Peter's failures. In his characteristic Love and Mercy, He forgives Peter and restores him to his role of leadership. The threefold "do you love me" gives Peter the opportunity to reaffirm his love and commitment to Jesus.

Jesus had a call and a role for each of the disciples. In His resurrected presence among them, He strengthen their relationship to Him and their resolve to carry on the mission He had begun. That mission was now theirs. It is now ours!

Jesus will reprise His encounter at the sea of Tiberius with us, too, from time to time. In awareness and prayer, we will recognize Jesus standing on the shore of wherever we are in life. He will be gracious, shows Mercy and strengthen us in the work He has set up for each one of us. We can respond with Peter, "Lord, you know everything You know that I love You".

He will say to us follow me!

Be Good, Be Holy, Preach the Gospel always, using words and holy actions!

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'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

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More reflections:

• "Washing Feet: Love and Service"
  (March 24, 2016)
• "The Messiah We Need"
  (March 20, 2016)
• "Joy to the World!"
  (December 27, 2015)
  • "Goodness, Life and Truth"
• "New Evangelization: Fire and Light"
  (October 25, 2015)
• "Talents, and the Best News Ever"
  (November 16, 2014)

Another Easter

There have been only three to six major events so far, depending on how you count them: the creation of this universe; humanity's creation and fall; and our Lord's arrival, execution, and resurrection.

There's another big one coming, eventually, and I'll get back to that.

Cosmic Scale

I'm a Catholic, so I take Sacred Scripture very seriously,¹ including this:

"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed - the sixth day."
(Genesis 1:31)

We've known that God's creation was big and old, and been impressed, for a long time:

"¹ Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it."
(Deuteronomy 10:14)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft."
(Psalms 19:2)

"³ Raise your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; Though the heavens grow thin like smoke, the earth wears out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies, My salvation shall remain forever and my justice shall never be dismayed."
(Isaiah 51:6)

"⁴ Indeed, before you the whole universe is as a grain from a balance, or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth."
(Wisdom 11:22-25)

I also believe that God is infinite and eternal, almighty and ineffable: beyond our power to describe or understand. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 202, 230)

I might not have created a universe as big and old as the one we're in: but God's God, I'm not, and that's a good thing.

As I see it, what we're learning about the cosmic scale of this creation is cause for greater admiration of God's work, and that's another topic. (July 26, 2015; March 29, 2015; September 21, 2014)

Wounded, but Basically Good

I've said this before: God doesn't make junk.

The universe is basically good. So are we — basically. (Genesis 1:26-27, 31; Catechism, 31, 299,)

The first of us — Adam and Eve aren't German — listened to Satan, ignoring what God had said. Then Adam tried blaming his wife, and God, which did not end well. (Genesis 3:5-13)

That was a very, very long time ago. We've been living with the disastrous consequences of their decision ever since. (Catechism, 396-412)

Humanity is still made "in the divine image." (Genesis 1:27)

But loving ourselves, others, and God is a struggle because the harmony we had with ourselves and with the universe is broken. Human nature is wounded: but not corrupted. (Catechism, 355-361, 374-379, 398, 400, 405, 1701-1707, 1949)

True God and True Man

About two thousand years ago, our Lord arrived:

"For God so loved the world that he gave ⁷ his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Shepherds and Magi thought it was good news, Herod didn't, and that's yet another topic. (January 3, 2016)

The Word has become Flesh, true God and true man. (Catechism, 456-478)

Anguish, Betrayal, Blood, and Death

We reviewed Luke's account of our Lord's final Passover meal last week; and kept reading until Luke 23:55-56, where some women spotted the tomb his body was in.

The whole week has been like that. Friday's Gospel, John 18:1-19:42, was similarly uncheerful:

"^{1 2} When he had said this, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered."
...
"So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by."
(John 18:1,19:42)

There's been a lot of anguish, betrayal, torture, blood, and death, in this week's Sacred Scripture.

All four Gospels agree on what happened next, although the accounts don't quite match up: by American standards.²

"^{1 2 3} On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb."
(John 20:1)

It took time and effort, but our Lord finally convinced the surviving Apostles that they weren't seeing a ghost. Our Lord had stopped being dead. (November 22, 2015; October 18, 2015)

That's where it gets interesting.

The Eighth Day: Life, Death - - -

Two millennia later, we're still celebrating.

Pope St. John Paul II called the Resurrection of Jesus "the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests ... the fulcrum of history."³

Death, physical death, happens: but it is not the end. (Catechism, 1007, 1010-1014, 1022, 1682)

"^{7 8} But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

"⁹ For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.

"For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,"
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

What happens next is up to each of us: whether we've decided to accept or reject God's grace, and what we've done with our life. (John 14:15; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; James 2:14-19; Catechism, 1021-1022, 1987-2016)

What our Lord expects is simple, but not easy.

I should love God, love my neighbor, see everyone as my neighbor, treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12, Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 5:43-44; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30; Catechism, 1825)

I try to love God and neighbor because I follow the Man who is God: who died in my place; descended to the abode of the dead; rose from the tomb; and lives today and forever. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; 1 Peter 4:6; Catechism, 631-635, 638-655)

We are living in the eighth day of creation, a day of life and hope: and have been for two millennia. (Catechism, 349, 1166, 2174)

- - - and Beyond

There's more to being a Christian than celebrating, and waiting for our Lord's return.⁴ We're expected to live as if loving our neighbors and loving God matter.

Truly respecting the "transcendent dignity" of humanity, and each person, isn't easy: but it's something we must do. Also building a better world for future generations. The job starts within each of us, with an ongoing "inner conversion." (Catechism, 1888, 1928-1942)

We've made some progress: and have a very great deal left to do.

As I said last year, my guess is that we'll still be waiting and working when the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. (December 28, 2014; November 23, 2014; October 26, 2014)


(From Jaime Jasso, via DeviantArt.com, used w/o permission.)

But — the war is over. We won. We're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More of my take on the best news ever:

• "The Messiah We Need"
  (March 20, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "But who do you say that I am?"
  • Last Supper, Messy Death
  • Still Celebrating
• "Stones, Sin, and Mercy"
  (March 13, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "Neither do I Condemn You"
• "Names and THE Name"
  (February 28, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "What am I to Tell Them?"
  • "...Tell the Israelites..."
• "Death? Been There, Done That"
  (April 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Jesus Died - - -
  • - - - and Stopped Being Dead
  • The Last Hour — Two Millennia and Counting
• "Joy and Standing Orders"
  (October 5, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Beatific Vision and Mirrors
  • Rejoice!
  • Move Out!

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¹ Reading the Bible is a very Catholic thing:

"The Church 'forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.¹¹²"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 133)

It's literally 'Catholicism 101:'

• Catechism, 101-133

² As I keep saying, Sacred Scripture wasn't written from a contemporary Western viewpoint:

• "Taking the Bible Seriously"
  (February 21, 2016)
  • footnote 2
• "Space Archaeologist, 55 Cancri e"
  (February 19, 2016)
  • "So You Believe the Earth is Flat?"
• "Precision-Grip Thumbs and a 'New' Archosaur "
  (January 30, 2015)
  • Informed Faith and Norse Mythology
• "Earth's Wandering Poles, A Comet, a Wobbling Moon"
  (October 24, 2014)
  • Evidence and a Cosmic Coffee Cup

³ From Pope Saint John Paul II's "Dies Domini" (Day of the Lord):

"...The Resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). It is an astonishing reality, fully grasped in the light of faith, yet historically attested to by those who were privileged to see the Risen Lord. It is a wondrous event which is not only absolutely unique in human history, but which lies at the very heart of the mystery of time. In fact, 'all time belongs to [Christ] and all the ages', as the evocative liturgy of the Easter Vigil recalls in preparing the Paschal Candle. Therefore, in commemorating the day of Christ's Resurrection not just once a year but every Sunday, the Church seeks to indicate to every generation the true fulcrum of history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and its final destiny leads...."
("Dies Domini," Pope Saint John Paul II (Pentecost, May 31, 1998))

More about the Resurrection:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 638-655
• "Fear of resurrection"
  Pope Francis, via L'Osservatore Romano (19 September 19, 2014)
• "A mystery of hope, forgiveness and resurrection"
  Luigi Giussani Jubilee 2000 magazine (2000)
• "Address to organizers and members of the Symposium on the Resurrection of Christ"
  Pope Blessed Paul VI (April 4, 1970)
• "Christ the source of resurrection and life"
  From an Easter homily by an ancient author (Sermo 35, 6-9; PL 17 [ed. 1879], 696-697)
  Prepared by the Spiritual Theology Department of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross

⁴ Our Lord's return, and the Final Judgment, will happen: and is the next major event. As for when it's coming — I have enough on my plate, without trying to outguess God.


(From Wily Miller's Non Sequitur, June 14, 2011 and May 3, 2010, used w/o permission.)

More of my take on Final Judgment and getting a grip:

• "Taking the Bible Seriously"
  (February 21, 2016)
  Particularly
  • Last Judgment and Getting a Grip
• "Doomsday Du Jour — or — Doing My Job"
  (April 19, 2015)
  Particularly
  • A Job to Do
• "Victory and Standing Orders"
  (November 23, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Ragnarok - - -
  • - - - and Mutant Squirrels
  • On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting
  • Sheep, Goats, and Me

Joy to the World!

(From Silar, Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Nativity scene at the Christ the King Church in Sanok, Poland, 2010.)

Shepherding is a comparatively new occupation, compared to hunting and knapping.

The earliest evidence we've found so far puts the first shepherds north of Sargon's Akkadian Empire, where the Hittite Kingdom was, a dozen or so centuries later. I've mentioned them before. (August 21, 2015; October 16, 2015)

That was about the time someone carved a bit of siltstone into the Narmer Palette, and folks started building Stonehenge; and that's another topic.

Around the time Emperor Ping died, leaving Wang Mang in charge — he was either a great reformer or conniving scoundrel, depending on who you read, and that's yet another topic — the Roman Emperor ordered an empire-wide census.

That obliged a nine-month-pregnant young woman and her fiance to visit Bethlehem. Or maybe her husband. Either way, Mary got pregnant before she and Joseph married. There's a reasonable explanation, and it's not what one might expect. (Matthew 1:19-24; Luke 1:26-38)

I'll get back to that.

An Official Birthday Celebration

The Christmas "Mass at Dawn" actually started at 10:30 in the Our Lady of Angels parish here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

It's part of a four-Mass marathon: the Vigil Mass, Mass at Midnight, Mass at Dawn, and Mass During the Day. By the time that's over, someone attending all four would have heard Matthew 1:1-25 — yeah, the whole first chapter — Luke 2:1-14; Luke 2:15-20; and John 1:1-18.

I was at the "Mass at Dawn," but not the others. We've got rules about Christmas Mass;¹ but as far as I know nothing says I must be at all four, and I'm wandering off-topic again.

So: why make such a big deal of Christmas? Short answer: it's when we celebrate out Lord's birthday. We don't know exactly which day and month Jesus was born, and that's okay.

The way I explained it to our kids is that it's an official birthday.

The British monarch's birthday celebration is celebrated in May or June, since Commonwealth countries are in Earth's northern hemisphere, and those months generally have nice weather. Sometimes the actual birthday is within a few days of the official one: but that's a coincidence.

My guess is that Christmas is just a few days from the northern hemisphere winter solstice because that's when folks here were celebrating daylight's return. My pagan forebears saw that part of Earth's seasonal cycle one way. I see it as a handy symbol for our Lord's arrival:

"^{1 2} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

"He was in the beginning with God.

"³ All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be

"through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;

"⁴ the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
(John 1:1-5)

Human on His Mother's Side

Like I said, Mary became pregnant before she and Joseph got married. I talked about her decision to accept a high-risk mission last year. (December 21, 2014)

I've heard Jesus described as "a nice Jewish boy who obeyed his mother and went into his Father's business." It's not the most conventional way of expressing what we're told in Luke 1:26-38, John 2:1-5, and John 5:17-20; but it's basically accurate.

I can't explain how Jesus is human and God. Some things we can't fully understand, like exactly how the Trinity works. (May 31, 2015)

There's a pretty good discussion of Jesus, the Word become Flesh, true God and true man, in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 456-478.

Where was I? Shepherds, emperors, birthdays. Right.

Luke 2:1-14, that's the Gospel reading for Christmas Mass at Midnight, includes this:

"⁴ Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.

"The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

"The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

"⁵ For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

"And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' "
(Luke 2:8-12)

Shepherding wasn't a high-status job. Night watchmen and night shift convenience store clerks might be equivalent occupations these days.

Back to Luke's narrative:

"When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.'

"So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

"When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

"All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

"Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them."
(Luke 2:15-20)

Two millennia later, that birth is still a big deal. Jesus grew up, spending part of his childhood in Egypt — I'll be talking about the magi and Herod's execution of kids in Bethlehem in another post. That sad account is in Matthew 2:13-18.

"Goodness, Life and Truth"

Our Lord grew up; and said that we should love God, love our neighbors, and see everybody as our neighbor.² Then Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried:³ and stopped being dead. (Luke 24:15-33)

I've talked about that before. (December 20, 2015; August 30, 2015; April 5, 2015)

That's why Christmas is such a big deal: it's when we celebrate God's coming to live with us, as one of us. The Old Testament let us know that God takes a personal interest in human affairs. When Jesus arrived, we saw that God is personally involved.

"...let us take another step; what gives rise to this joy? I would say that it is born from the heart's wonder at seeing that God is close to us, that God thinks of us, that God acts in history; it is therefore a joy born from contemplating the face of that humble Child because we know that he is the Face of God present for ever in humanity, for us and with us. Christmas is joy because at last we see and are certain that God is the goodness, life, and truth of human beings and that he stoops down to them to lift them up to him...."
(Benedict XVI (January 4, 2012)⁴)

(From NASA/ISS, used w/o permission.)

Our joy isn't a fairytale 'and they lived happily ever after' thing. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating Herod's mass murder of the Holy Innocents. Yesterday was St. Stephen's feast day. (October 18, 2015)

Our joy is the best news humanity's ever had: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. All of us. (John 3:17; Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:3-5; Catechism, 1-3, 52, 1825)

"For God so loved the world that he gave ⁷ his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17)

More reasons to celebrate:

• "Advent and a Sense of Scale"
  (December 20, 2015)
  Particularly:
  • Jesus of Nazareth
  • Love
• "Truth and the Big Picture"
  (November 22, 2015)
  Particularly:
  • Kings and Questions
  • The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead
  • Truth and the Long Run
• " 'Have No Anxiety At All' "
  (October 18, 2015)
  Particularly:
  • Why Take Jesus Seriously?
  • Rejoice!
• "Gideon, Gabriel, Mary, and Guts"
  (December 21, 2014)
  Particularly:
  • Mary and 'Happy Days' America
  • Submissive? Maybe
• "Joy and Standing Orders"
  (October 5, 2014)
  Particularly:
  • Joy, Zest, and Mud
  • Rejoice!
  • Move Out!

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¹ Regulations for laity are fairly straightforward, like the Sunday obligation detailed in Catechism of the Catholic Church -2183 and Code of Canon Law Book IV Part III Title II Chapter I 1248.

It's different for priests and bishops: Code of Canon Law Book II Part II Section II Title I Chapter II Article 2 3 and Book IV Part I Title III Chapter III 951, for example.

I'm okay with that. The way I see it, my position as a Catholic layman is a bit like a foot soldier's: and I'm quite content to let the officers deal with administrative details. (December 28, 2014; October 12, 2014)

² Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1789

³ Matthew 27:26-54; Mark 15:34-39; Luke 23:14-47; John 19:1-40.

⁴ More about joy and Christmas:

• "Nativity of the Lord, Mystery of Joy and Light"
  General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI (January 4, 2012)
  (From w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20120104.html (December 26, 2015))
• "Feast of Saint Stephen"
  Angelus, Pope Francis: (December 26, 2013)
  (From w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2013/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20131226.html (December 26, 2015))

Jesus Christ is Risen!

Easter Sunday 2015:

• Acts 10:34a, 37-43
• Colossians 3:1-4
  or
  1 Corinthians 6b-8
• John 20:1-9

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Easter Sunday 2015

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
April 5, 2015

Jesus Christ is risen! This means that life takes on a new horizon. Have you ever thought of yourself as immortal? Have you ever considered that you have "forever" to live? The resurrection from the death of Jesus casts a new light on our human existence. No longer are we bound by finite ends. Our life has an all new endless and brilliant horizon, and we come to share in this new resurrected and glorious horizon gifted us by Christ Jesus through our baptism.

In baptism, we are born into the resurrected life of Jesus Christ, a life that knows no end, no boundaries. Death has no more hold on us. Yes, we still died, but that is not the end of our life. For not only will our souls live on past our death, but our bodies and souls will be reunited and resurrected from the grave on to the glory that we have already seen in Jesus the firstborn of the dead. With this faith, we come to find that urgencies and anxieties that death can put upon our desires for a life come to fade to nothingness as we now see that we have a "forever" to existence---meaning, for all that we could ever yearn.

Sin, likewise, loses its tempting appeal. Sins' allure, makes us believe that it can fulfill our every need in the here and now, and that there will be no greater opportunity to be so fulfilled in the future. The resurrection of Christ Jesus shows us the folly of this allure, unraveling its false logic. The resurrection shows us the opportunity for an endless future of glory and fulfillment, and that the present is not the only opportunity we ever have to satiate our desires. For there is truly a great and majestic glory that awaits all who persevere in Christ Jesus, and with faith, put their hope and a future filled with all the love one could ever desire.

The resurrection gives us our freedom to decide our life's direction, unencumbered by the insidious snares of the devil. The death of Jesus-- just like the death of those who have gone on before us, and who fought so that we may have freedom-- bestows a great and inevitable dignity on our liberty to make choices in regards the direction of our life. It begs the question: "what do we use our freedom for, that was purchased at such a great price?" Furthermore, the resurrection of Christ shows us a great light to guide us in our choices. It shows us a glimmer of the glory that awaits when we use our freedom to embrace, not the fading allurements of the present but an endless glory of resplendent beauty in the future.

The glory of Easter is a future glory. It calls us to wait for fulfillment, to use our freedom to choose the greatest good-- a good that lies not in any temptation before our eyes at present, but for a beauty that can only be attained through holy patient. Easter freedom is a freedom for a better tomorrow. It is, therefore, as an Easter people-- by virtue of our baptism, and nourished in the sacred food of the Eucharist that we journey and live, not for today but for the beauty that awaits!

One last final reflection: Thank God for Easter. We don't have scientific evidence for life beyond the grave, but we do have historical evidence. The respected theologian and author, Wolfhart Pannenberg once said, "the evidence for Jesus' resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: first, it is a very unusual event. And second, if you believe that it happened, you have to change the way you live."

He's right, of course. The testimony of those who experienced Jesus' resurrection is so compelling that the only real reason a person might reject it is that it might require them to make a change in how they are living. That too is right, of course, of those who reject this knowledge. It is sad, but they are free to reject the good news of Easter if they so choose. As for me, and, I suspect for you, we will leave this church with "hallelujah" ringing in our ears and in our hearts. Jesus is alive, and because he lives we shall live, too. Easter is Gods light beaming into a dark, dark world. Because Jesus lives, the world is brighter than it has ever been before.

So you all be Good, be Holy, preach the Gospel always using words and holy actions.

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'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

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More reflections:

• "Reflections from Sauk Centre's Our Lady of Angels Church"

Related posts:

• "Death? Been There, Done That"
  (April 5, 2015)
• "Talking About Sin"
  (February 1, 2015)
• "Jesus: Tortured; Executed; Buried - - -"
  (April 18, 2014)
• "The Lazarus Incident — or — A Tale of Two Tombs"
  (April 6, 2014)
• "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
  (March 11, 2012)

Death? Been There, Done That

(From Piero della Francesca, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
('Dead? I was, but now I'm better.' No, our Lord didn't say that: not in so many words. (John 20:26-27))

I haven't died, not yet: and I'm still working on the 'dying to myself' that doesn't mean pretending that I'm garbage — and that's another topic. Topics. (November 27, 2011; March 3, 2009)

Our Lord: That's another matter. About two millennia back, Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried: but I'm getting ahead of the story.

Someone named Abram moved out of Ur, changed his name to Abraham, and settled near the east end of the Mediterranean Sea. That was about one and a half or two millennia before the Golgotha incident.

Folks didn't have standardized calendars 35 to 40 centuries back, Western civilization went through two or three resets¹ since then — and that's yet another topic. (March 11, 2012)

Abraham made some good decisions — and a really bad one, leading to a domestic dispute we're still dealing with. Still more topics. (August 16, 2011; Another War-on-Terror Blog (October 8, 2007))

A descendant of Abraham, sold as a slave, wound up running Egypt: and saved many lives during a famine. (Genesis 41:40 and following)

A few centuries later, a refugee named Moses had a face-to-burning bush talk with God:

" 'But,' said Moses to God, 'when I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," if they ask me, "What is his name?" what am I to tell them?'

"⁶ God replied, 'I am who am.' Then he added, 'This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.'"
(Exodus 3:13-14)

Egypt's ruler learned — the hard way — that it's not prudent to ignore what God says, and descendants of Abraham moved back to the east end of the Mediterranean.

"Before Abraham ..."

(From John Martin, via WikiMedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
('Now that I have your attention ....')

More centuries passed, and descendants of Abraham finally got it through their heads that God, the great I AM, is ONE.

Then some Nazarene miracle-worker said, as plainly as possible, "I am God:"

"So the Jews said to him, 'You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?' ²³

"²⁴ Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.' "
(John 8:57-58)

In a way, it's a bit surprising that folks didn't kill him on the spot. They knew what happened when they worshiped anyone or anything besides the God of Abraham, and didn't realize that Jesus really is I AM.

Our Lord's own disciples weren't all that much quicker on the uptake:

"Philip said to him, 'Master, show us the Father, ⁷ and that will be enough for us.'

"Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"?"
(John 14:8-9)

Jesus Died - - -

Okay. Now I'm back to events we review every Good Friday. Our Lord was railroaded through a trial — two, if you count the interview with Herod — tortured, executed, and buried.

I sympathize, a little, with movie critics who said "The Passion of the Christ" (2004) was 'too violent:' and that all the blood obscured the film's message. Americans have gotten used to nice, clean, 'decently' sanitized versions of our Lord's crucifixion.

But I'm an adult convert to Catholicism, wear a little sculpture of a dead body around my neck, and understand why we have those ghastly, bloody crucifixes. (April 27, 2010; January 19, 2010)

Jesus was dead. Roman soldiers had been running the execution, and knew the difference between a dead body and someone who had fainted, or was pretending to be dead.

About three decades back, JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association, a peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of the biomedical sciences) published an analysis of what our Lord went through. It isn't an easy read, but worth the effort. My opinion:

• "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ"
  William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI — JAMA, Vol 255, No. 11 (March 21, 1986)
  (From hisunendinglov.blogspot.com/2015/04/good-friday-physical-death-of-jesus.html
  via associationofcatholicwomenbloggers.blogspot.com/2015/04/good-friday-physical-death-of-jesus.html (April 4, 2015))

- - - and Stopped Being Dead

For anyone else, that would have been the end. The disciples might have tried to return to normal lives, forgetting as much of what happened as they could — hoping that the authorities would do the same.

But Jesus isn't anyone else. Two millennia later, we celebrate Good Friday and Easter — because our Lord didn't stay dead.

If that seems unbelievable, it should.

It took a series of meetings and working lunches to convince the surviving 11 that our Lord was really, no kidding, break-bread, eat-a-fish, put-your-hand-in-my-side, ALIVE.

"And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them."

"With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight."
(Luke 24:30-31)

---

"While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, 'Have you anything here to eat?'

"They gave him a piece of baked fish;

"he took it and ate it in front of them."
(Luke 24:41-43)

---

"Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, 'Peace be with you.'

"Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.' "
(John 20:26-27)

Once they'd been convinced that Jesus had stopped being dead, small wonder that all but John decided that a painful death was preferable to denying that our Lord lives. They'd gotten a glimpse of the big picture, the reality that our Lord has opened a way into God's presence.

"Who will condemn? It is Christ (Jesus) who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

"What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?...

"...For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, ⁹ nor future things, nor powers,

"nor height, nor depth, ¹⁰ nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. "
(Romans 8:34-35, 38-39)

John might have made the same decision, but didn't have the opportunity. Instead, he lived to a ripe old age, in exile on Patmos, and that's yet again another topic.

The Last Hour — Two Millennia and Counting

Before leaving, our Lord gave standing orders:

"Go, therefore, ¹² and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. ¹³ And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." "
(Matthew 28:19-20)

Two millennia later, those orders haven't changed.

"Making disciples" isn't the sort of 'convert or die' thing Charlemagne did at Verdun, by the way. We're still cleaning up the mess from that atrocity. (May 18, 2014)

There's more to following our Lord than 'really believing,' reciting Bible verses, or putting loose change in the collection plate.

We're expected to act as if 'Love God, love you neighbor, everybody's your neighbor' is true — and matters. (Matthew 5:43-44, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-30; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1825)

Among other things, that means providing for those in need or in prison, and welcoming the stranger. (Matthew 25:34-35, 1 John 3:15-18)

Truly respecting the "transcendent dignity" of humanity, and each person, isn't easy: but it's something we must do. Also building a better world for future generations. The job starts within each of us, with an ongoing "inner conversion." (Catechism, 1888, 1928-1942)

It's been a long haul, we've made some progress: and we have a very great deal left to do.

My guess is that we'll still be waiting and working when the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. (December 28, 2014; November 23, 2014; October 26, 2014)


(From Jaime Jasso, via DeviantArt.com, used w/o permission.)

But — the war is over. We won. We're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More of the same, pretty much:

• The big picture
  • "The Eighth Day: Two Millennia and Counting"
    (April 20, 2014)
  • "Jesus: Tortured; Executed; Buried - - -"
    (April 18, 2014)
  • "An Empty Tomb"
    (March 31, 2013)
  • "Death, Decisions, and a Working Lunch"
    (April 8, 2012)
  • "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
    (March 11, 2012)
• The long haul
  
  • "Holy Family, Not '50s Family"
    (December 28, 2014)
  • "Neighbors, Love, and Upping the Ante"
    (October 26, 2014)
  • "Reforming the World — We Must Try"
    (September 28, 2014)
  • "Caesar, Civilization, Dealing With Change — and Building a Better World"
    (August 31, 2014)
  • "Made in the Image of God: Great Power, Great Responsibilities"
    (May 18, 2014)

---

¹ The Late Bronze Age collapse, about 32 centuries ago, happened right around the time of the Trojan War — which may help explain why we're still not sure how much of our information about that conflict is fiction, and how much is fact.

Western civilization recovered, then about 15 centuries back we had another reset. The watershed event for that is the reign of Odoacer, first king of Italy: after which the Roman Empire didn't, in practical terms, exist.

The European Renaissance, about five centuries ago, wasn't — my opinion — quite as catastrophic a change.

The Eighth Day: Two Millennia and Counting

(From Piero della Francesca, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Piero della Francesca's "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.")

Easter is the big holiday for the Catholic Church.

It's when we celebrate Christ's return to life.

I enjoy the cultural trappings of this springtime holiday: pastel decorations; plastic eggs; and all. I'll get back to some of that in another post.

The Sunday of Sundays

Easter is when God's kingdom enters our time. It is what Saint Athanasius called the Sunday of Sundays, when Christendom celebrates Christ's victory over death. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1168-1171)

I follow the Man who is God: who died in my place; descended to the abode of the dead; rose from the tomb; and lives today and forever. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; 1 Peter 4:6; Catechism, 631-635, 638-655)

By any reasonable standard, that's a big deal.

That first Easter marked the start of the new creation, the eighth day: a day of life and hope. We've been celebrating ever since. (Catechism, 349, 1166, 2174)

Related posts:

• "Jesus: Tortured; Executed; Buried - - -"
  (April 18, 2014)
• "An Empty Tomb"
  (March 31, 2013)
• "Palm Sunday: Technology, Symbols, Frond Folding, and My Family"
  (March 24, 2013)
• "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
  (March 11, 2012)
• "We Won: Quite a While Ago"
  (January 13, 2011)

Jesus: Tortured; Executed; Buried - - -

(From Tintoretto, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Detail from Tintorett's "Crucifixion.")

Nailed to a cross after a night and day of torture and humiliation, Jesus was "raised high and greatly and greatly exalted ... so marred was his look beyond that of man."

"³ See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.

"Even as many were amazed at him - so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals -

"So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it."
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

Today's readings start with the prophet Isaiah's words, and end on a gloomy note:

"Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.

"So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by."
(John 19:41-19:42)

We call today "Good Friday," which isn't as crazy as it might seem. That's because of what happened a few days later.

Today's readings:

• Isaiah 52:13-53:12
• Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
• John 18:1-19:42

Related posts:

• "Jesus: Love, Death, and All That"
  (March 16, 2014)
• " 'In the Beginning:' a Continuing Story"
  (December 22, 2013)
• "Golgotha, Rome, and Words that Mean Something"
  (April 28, 2013)
• " 'But who do you say that I am?' "
  (October 10, 2012)
• "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
  (March 11, 2012)

Lazarus, Life, Death: and More

Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent 2014:

• Ezeliel 27:12-14
• Romans 8:8-11
• John 11:1-45

---

Fifth Sunday of Lent 2014

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
March 6, 2014

We have homily group with Father Greg on most Thursdays which has caused me to change all of my plans for today's homily, to reflection on six words from today's gospel reading. That being, "And Jesus wept." And, "Lazarus, come out!" Keep these six words in mind as I share with you some of the thoughts that I shared with Father Mark, then he challenged me to share with you, what I told him.

Some of the story, at least parts of it you have heard from this pulpit but never the complete story. The story begins with the illness and death of my wife Agnes now almost 9 1/2 years ago. Father Andrew attended her with great compassion those last few days and she was saying things to him that I only learned about later. She told him one day that she was glad Lawrence was a Deacon, it would give them something to do. Could she have really realized the connection that her Deacon would have to this parish community?

Two things she told me shortly before she died that will stay with me forever, one being that she wanted to go to heaven to hold her baby, for we had lost a baby and miscarriage. She also told me that she was not afraid to die, for that wasn't the problem: it was the process. And I'm betting the vast majority of us would say amen to that. Father Andrew reminded me at homily group that I had commented when Agnes died, that now we have a celibate Deacon. I honestly do not remember saying that but if Father Andrew says is true, you can bet it's true.

Her death has left a huge hole in my heart, as well must have happened to Mary and Martha at the death of their brother Lazarus. Death it seems is so final, yet our hope is in Eternal Life.

My oldest son and his wife took me on a cruise after Agnes's death. We flew into New York, took a ship up the coast and down the St. Lawrence waterway. A great blessing aboard that ship was a Priest and his group, so we had Mass each day. One day he told me specifically that the Mass would be Agnes.

Returning to Minnesota, and now I'm leaving my son's house and I remember parking in his driveway and crying, and crying, and crying. Finally, thinking my son is going to be excited if he sees my car still in his driveway.

My reflection of that happening is what I shared with Father Mark, that he indicated I needed to share with you. The question for me arises, why did you cry?, who are you crying for?, Finally I concluded, I was not crying for Agnes, I was crying for myself. Crying, for suddenly I realized how alone I was. Going home to an empty house was something I was not used to.

But how quickly things change and how much did Agnes know that she was now telling us that her husband being an Deacon would fill his life with the Love of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and his concern for each and everyone of you.

Having shared all of this with you today I nevertheless would want you to reflect on the Gospel reading of today concerning Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Maybe opening your Bible when you get home starting with chapter 11 of John's Gospel and read through the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and realize that this is a story of family relationships. The restoration of Lazarus' dead body is also a restoration of a family. The point I'm trying to make is that, whether a family is restored fully here on earth or restored fully in heaven it is the mission of God, because God sees in human beings the necessity of family relationships.

About 9 1/2 years ago now John Paul II was asked the question, "would your desire to be and see your loved ones in heaven detract from the Beatific Vision?" His answer was, "Oh no, but it will enhance it".

Again, what I'm trying to say is that, just because the family is broken, because of the death, of one of its members that this is not a permanent happening. I am so convinced of this that it causes me to reflect on the Holy Family and their brokenness, at the death of Joseph, and Jesus, and finally the restoration of that family when Mary is Assumed into heaven by her Son. The Holy Family is forever in Heaven, together.

Brokenness, can be a parish happening as well. So for a couple of moments we will reflect on the death of Father Richard McGuire. Apparently seven weeks ago he learns that he has lung cancer and comes home and tells the priest he's living with, I'm going to see Jesus before you! Many parishes and peoples are hurting because this most wonderful priest has been called home. The brokenness that we feel here on earth will be restored in heaven, where brokenness is healed, where with loved ones, we behold the Face of God.

So you all be Good, be Holy, and preached the Gospel always and if necessary use Words!

---

'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

---

More reflections:

• "Reflections from Sauk Centre's Our Lady of Angels Church"

Related posts:

• "Jesus: Love, Death, and All That"
  (March 16, 2014)
• "Time, Decisions, and a Sense of Scale"
  (September 28, 2013)
• "Looking Forward to Heaven"
  (August 25, 2013)
• " '...Wanting to Make Us Sharers in His Divinity...' "
  (November 28, 2012)
• "An Eternal Life I can Live With"
  (August 27, 2011)

The Lazarus Incident — or — A Tale of Two Tombs

(From Léon Bonnat, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Léon Bonnat's "The Resurrection of Lazarus.")

The Lazarus incident takes up most of John, chapter 11: but the account doesn't lend itself to paintings or movies. My opinion.

Picking up the narrative after Martha warned Jesus that there'd be a stench when they opened the tomb —

"So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, 'Father, ⁸ I thank you for hearing me.

"I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.'

"And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, ⁹ 'Lazarus, come out!'

"The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, 'Untie him and let him go.' "
(John 11:41-42)

At the time, some folks didn't believe what they'd seen. Some still don't.

Lazarus, Bible Epics, and All That

I don't remember seeing the raising of Lazarus in those Bible epics. That's understandable.

Given the choice of presenting "a cast of thousands," famous actors, and eye-popping special effects — or Lazarus hopping out of his tomb, with his face still covered — scenes like Moses flinging the Decalogue win, hands down.

Come to think of it, maybe he rolled out of his tomb when Jesus shouted "Lazarus, come out!"

When the boss shouts "come," dawdling isn't prudent.

The Other Empty Tomb

In a way, restoring life to Lazarus was 'more of the same.'

An official's daughter, and a widow's son in Naim, hadn't been buried: but Jesus brought them to back to life, too. (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:22-43; Luke 7:11-17; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 640, 646)

The big surprise came after the following Passover, when three women went to another tomb with spices. Reports of what happened next aren't entirely consistent. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:1-18)

Again, that's understandable.

Eyewitness testimony is notoriously imprecise under normal circumstances. Followers of Jesus had seen my Lord executed, and had reasonable fears that the authorities would be after them next. They'd be anything but calm observers.

Then there's what the Catechism calls "the condition of Christ's Risen Humanity."

The official's, daughter, the young man of Naim, and Lazarus, simply returned to an ordinary life. When Jesus left a borrowed tomb, my Lord no longer observed the limits of space and time. (Mark 16:12-14; Luke 24:15-51; John 20:19-23; Catechism, 645-646)

It took a series of meetings and a working lunch to convince the apostles that Jesus had stopped being dead, and that's another topic.

More:

• John 11:1-45
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 638-646

Related posts:

• "Fasting, Penance: and Infinite Depths of Joy"
  (June 3, 2012)
  Particularly
  • God, Rain, and Me
  • Jesus, Joy, and Standing Orders
  • "Infinite Joy"
• "Death, Decisions, and a Working Lunch"
  (April 8, 2012)
• "Marching Through Time"
  (April 1, 2012)
• "A Divine Mercy Homily: 'Peace be With You;' Jesus is Alive"
  (April 10, 2012)
• "The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead"
  (March 11, 2012)
• "We Won: Quite a While Ago"
  (January 13, 2011)