Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 18, 2025

Our final command from Jesus: we are to love others as Jesus loved us.

John 13:31–33a, 34–35

Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Music Meditations

• Love One Another --Bob Dufford, SJ
• Ubi Caritas-Ola Gjeilo
• Love One Another-Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Hold Us Together--Matt Maher ( Christian Rock)

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2015

Presence of God:

I bring myself into your presence, O God.
May I always take time to notice and enjoy
the beauty you have created
for my pleasure.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

I try to let go of any prejudices and narrow mindedness
That may be clouding my vision at this present moment.
I hand them over to God’s merciful care,
So I can pray in freedom at this time.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Grant, O Lord, that I may be conscious
and grateful for all the good things you have given to me.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

Lord, help me to understand what it means to love, to understand that love is not a sentimental feeling but an action. Give me the grace to spend time with you and your disciples in this post-resurrection season learning how you loved them, and how in turn, they loved others after you were gone. Give me the generosity of spirit to think of others beside myself and to show them the compassion Jesus showed Peter, John and the rest of humanity.

Companions for the Journey

From “Living Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

In the Gospel Jesus speaks of the foundation and heart of his teaching and message. These are his parting words to his disciples before he goes to his passion and death. What is this message? Is it to be faithful in keeping the Ten Commandments and leading a moral life? Not exactly. Does he warn us to be sure to be in church every Sunday and to go to confession regularly? Not really. Does he tell us to use all our energies in loving God? Surprisingly, perhaps, no!

What he does tell us is to love other people—and to love them as he has loved us. This, he says, is a “new” commandment. The Hebrew Testament told us to love God with our whole heart and soul and so on; and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus has added a new element in telling us that the true test of discipleship is to love other people in the same way that he has loved us. And we might remember that these words lead the way to the “greatest possible love” that a person can show, that is, by letting go of one’s very life for others. This Jesus will very dramatically portray in the terrible suffering and degradation which he will submit to out of love for us, out of love for ME.

The only valid test: To incorporate that level of love in my life will surely call for a new way of thinking, of seeing, of behaving and of interacting with other people. And it will be the test, the only valid test, of whether I truly love God as well. Is this really the way, is this the frame of mind in which I live my normal day? Or rather, let me say, is this the way we—who dare to call ourselves Christians—live our normal days?

For it is clear that the disciple of Christ is not primarily an individual person but an inter-person. I am defined as a disciple not by how I individually behave, by my personal moral life, but by how I inter-act with other people. The solitary Christian is a contradiction in terms because the Christian is only to be measured by the way he/she loves and that love, by definition, involves other people. I am my relationships.

What is love?: The word “love”, of course, can lead to misunderstandings. The word is used by us mainly in contexts which imply deep affection, emotional attraction and a good feeling when the beloved is around or even just thought of. That is not quite the meaning of the word in this context. The word that is used by John in this passage is agape (pronounced ‘aga-pay’ (Greek: ἀγάπη)). This is not, strictly speaking, love in the mutual or romantic sense. Rather, it implies a reaching out to others in a caring attitude for their wellbeing, irrespective of whether there will be a similar response by the other. It is the compassion that Jesus shows for the sinner and the evil person. It would be difficult for me to love a Hitler, a Stalin, a serial rapist killer or child abuser in the first sense. It would have no meaning and Jesus does not expect me to create such an artificial attitude.

Loving enemies: On the other hand, in terms of deep caring for the good of another, I can certainly “love” Hitler, Stalin, the murdering rapist or any other person who causes me difficulties, who I believe has hurt me or failed me or who simply behaves in a way which I cannot accept as good. This is what makes it possible for me to “love” my “enemies” and to pray for them and to wish God’s blessings on them so that they may change their ways (not to suit me but for their own wellbeing and bring them back into harmony with God’s way). It is why the true Christian disciple does not in fact have enemies. This is what Jesus is doing in praying for forgiveness for those who were nailing him to the cross. He loves them then not as close friends obviously, but as people who truly needed enlightenment about what they were doing not just to him but to themselves. Jesus cared, he had a deep sense of agape at that moment. In the First Reading, from the Acts, we see another form of agape on the part of two early missionaries, Paul and Barnabas. They went through all kinds of hardships and misunderstandings so that the message and vision of Jesus might be communicated to as many people as they could reach. And to those who were already Christians they gave support and encouragement to persevere in their Christian convictions. In this sense, then, can people say of me that I am a truly loving, caring and forgiving person? A redeeming person, a person who makes hurt people whole again? It is all that Jesus, on the threshold of his suffering and death, asks of me and nothing else. It is not impossible, it is not hopelessly idealistic, it does not require massive willpower and self-control. What it does require is a change of attitude, of the way I see the world, others, myself. It is through this constant love-centered interaction among each other that the “new earth, the new heaven and the new Jerusalem” can begin to come into existence. It is in our hands. And we have a perfect example in Jesus our Lord. As disciples of Jesus, imbued with his message of agape, loving in the way that he loved us, we are called to do the same—to give support to our fellow disciples and to share our faith and our love with as many people as possible.

I might reflect today on the ways I personally fail to be a loving, caring, compassionate and understanding person. Who are the people I really love and care for? Who are the people I cannot bring myself to love and care for—and why? Who are the people I never even think of loving and caring for—and why? Do I only love the people of my own race, my own class, my own religion? Do I care for anybody outside the circle of my family and immediate friends? Do I love and care for my family members? Whom do I regard as my friends and why? Do I love and care in any tangible way for people who need my care—however indirectly—even though I do not know them and they can give me nothing in return, e.g. the poor, the addicted, the exploited and marginalized in my own and other societies? Finally, do I really love myself? A great deal of our difficulty in extending love and especially forgiveness to others is our own insecurity, the fragility of our egos, which can be so easily hurt. Only those persons who are fully convinced that they are themselves lovable can reach out comfortably and unconditionally to love others.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Love one another as I have loved you

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Have you ever been in a life situation (marriage, having a child, divorce, serious illness, losing someone you love, graduating from school, moving to a different location far away etc.) that made you feel as though you were leaving one phase of your life and entering another?
  Was it difficult?
  Were your sad about leaving some folks you loved behind?
  Did you stay close to them anyway?
• Has anyone you loved moved on to a new situation which took him or her away from you physically or emotionally?
  Did you feel sad, lonely, abandoned?
  How did you manage to stay close?
  Was the effort one sided? How does that work?
• How do you think Jesus felt when Judas left the group in order to betray Jesus?
  What is the “darkness” that Jesus might have experienced, knowing that He had “lost” Judas?
  How could he continue to love Judas?
• Have I ever felt I had to be rich or beautiful or accomplished in order to be recognized or loved?
• Have you ever had anyone in your life whom it was difficult to love?
  Have you ever been difficult to love at times in your life?
• How does it feel to contemplate that God makes a dwelling with the human race (Revelation reading)?
• How do you describe “love”? Can you love someone you don’t actually like or admire?
  What do you think is the difference between love and affection?
  Is your idea of love a feeling that is reciprocated?
  How do you deal with having your attempts at love rejected by someone?
• We witness to the love of Jesus by who we are, by what we do with our lives and how we treat others. In what ways is my life a witness to the love Jesus talks about?
  In what ways can I improve?
• Have you ever had to employ tough love with a friend or relative?
• Someone said that love without justice is sentimentality. Do you agree or disagree?
• Jesus (Luke 8) said: “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” Father Bausch said love is not repaid, is passed on. Can you think of an instance where you passed on to another love that was freely extended to you?
• When is love tough?
• Love in community has its own set of challenges: Choosing the collective good over individual good Loving those you don’t like Forgiving those who hurt you or others Being an active witness of this community love (”See how they love one another”) Actually doing justice Which of these do I find the most difficult to live out?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Adapted from Living Space 2022, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

The word “new” appears several times in today’s readings. The passage from Revelation speaks of a “new” heaven, a “new” earth and a “new” Jerusalem. Jesus in the Gospel speaks of a “new” commandment. What’s supposed to be “new”? A new life in Christ, of course, is something that can come early or late into the life of a person. For many saints it came after quite a long period of loose and immoral living without God. St Augustine and St Ignatius Loyola come to mind. For others, like Therese of Lisieux, it came relatively early. She was already a saint when she died at the tender age of 24. For most of us, it is something that may come in waves. In other words, it will not be a once-for-all experience but something that comes at different stages in our life, each time bringing us to a deeper level of understanding, insight and commitment.

Easter is the time when we both remember and celebrate the new life which has come to us through our Risen Lord. The “new life” that the Scripture speaks of is also referred to as “conversion”, a turning round, or, in Greek meta-noia (μετάνοια). It means a radical change of vision, of our priorities in life. It means new attitudes, new values, new standards of relating with God and with people and indeed with our whole living environment of which we are a synergistic part.

What do you understand this “new life” to mean ? Can you say that you have experienced this “new life” this Easter or, for that matter, in any previous Easter? Are you aware of becoming changed in any way—for the better—over the years? Or has the Easter experience simply passed you by? Speak to Jesus about his promise of a new life, and what your response might be.

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

The Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke the Evangelist, chronicles the ups and downs of the Church Jesus left behind, and a little later, of the Church the apostles left behind. Can you recall any examples of disagreements among various members of the early Church? How were they handled? What are some examples of ways in which the early Church communities lived out the command of Jesus, in spite of some real differences? Today’s first reading illustrates that Paul and Barnabas, through their love for Jesus and his message, spread the good news over 1200 miles, and still answered to their fellow Christians about their successes and failures.

Thomas Bokenkotter’s A Concise History of the Catholic Church is not so very concise at some 430 pages, but you might find some chapters very interesting and informative. And remember, we are dealing with over 2000 years of history, with theological and personal differences which at times the Church was unified and cohesive and at times rendered it riven by animosity and even violence.

From Jude Siciliano, O.P.:

What is the situation in our local churches? How are we like or unlike the community in Acts? Are the poor, uneducated, ill, disabled, unemployed, at home among us? Do some people come to church for years and never feel like they really belong? Some people say the hour in church on Sunday is the most segregated time of the week. Do minorities, refugees, and others feel a part of us? Are convicts visited by our faithful?

What are some of the issues in the contemporary Church that sometimes seem divisive? If you have attended any of the Synod listening sessions, you may have seen some differences of opinion in those very discussion groups. Can you think of any?

What are some constructive ways to handle the deeply different opinions and visions of the Church without slipping into divisiveness and hostility?
Does it help to remember that none of us gets to say who is the real Catholic in the room?
Does it help to assume the integrity, intelligence and good will of the person with whom I disagree?
Does it help to give the other person’s opinion the respect it deserves?
Can we have a discussion without becoming argumentative, or worse, enemies?
Can others say of us: “See how they love one another…”?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Has anyone in my life been a mirror of God’s love for me? Have I ever told that person how much his or her unconditional love means to me? Have I ever withheld love from someone who clearly wanted my love? What was the reason—I disapproved of his actions, or her personality irritated me or I simply saw that it gave me power over another? What do I do now?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Imagine that you are one of the disciples, and it is becoming clear that Jesus will not be with you for very much longer. How do you feel about having him go out of your life at this point? What are the things you want to say to him? What do you want to ask him? Are you comforted by the words of today’s gospel? Sit with Jesus a while and share your feelings about your desire to stay close to him and to do his will.

Literary Reflection:

Read the Following poem by Thomas Centolella. What does it say to you about Jesus’ exhortation to love one another?

“In The Evening We Shall Be Examined On Love”
-St. John of the Cross

And it won’t be multiple choice,
though some of us would prefer it that way.
Neither will it be essay, which tempts us to run on
when we should be sticking to the point, if not together.
In the evening there shall be implications
our fear will turn to complications. No cheating,
we’ll be told and we’ll try to figure the cost of being true
to ourselves. In the evening when the sky has turned
that certain blue, blue of exam books, blue of no more
daily evasions, we shall climb the hill as the light empties
and park our tired bodies on a bench above the city
and try to fill in the blanks. And we won’t be tested
like defendants on trial, cross-examined
till one of us breaks down, guilty as charged. No,
in the evening, after the day has refused to testify,
we shall be examined on love like students
who don’t even recall signing up for the course
and now must take their orals, forced to speak for once
from the heart and not off the top of their heads.
And when the evening is over and it’s late,
the student body asleep, even the great teachers
retired for the night, we shall stay up
and run back over the questions, each in our own way:
what’s true, what’s false, what unknown quantity
will balance the equation, what it would mean years from now
to look back and know
we did not fail.

(from Lights & Mysteries)

Closing Prayer

Lord, there are so many in this world who need the kind of love Jesus showed his disciples: the lonely, the ill, the poor, the depressed, those suffering from war and violence in their lives. Help me to move from sentimental pity to actually putting my feelings into action, Open my eyes to those in my life who are in need of my generous, and maybe even sacrificial, love. Help me to reach out to those outside my own circle of friends and family to address the vast needs of a world broken by hate and greed. Help me to be your love in my world.

Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 11, 2025

I know Jesus’ voice and I follow Him

John 10:27–30

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.

The Father and I are one.”

Notes:

• [10:29] The textual evidence for the first clause is very divided; it may also be translated: “As for the Father, what he has given me is greater than all,” or “My Father is greater than all, in what he has given me.”
• [10:30] This is justification for Jn 10:29; it asserts unity of power and reveals that the words and deeds of Jesus are the words and deeds of God.

Music Meditations

• Psalm 23—John Rutter
• Shepherd Me O God—Marty Haugen
• My Shepherd will supply my need—BYU choir or Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Prayer of St Patrick for Chorus-—Cambridge Singers (John Rutter)
• Even When You’re Running—Casting Crowns

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Presence of God:

Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your care for me, constantly shepherding me to what is good for me and for this world. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. May the freedom I desire never encourage me to step away from your loving guidance.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with Jesus? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of Jesus and of those whom I have hurt. Jesus, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always fully conscious of your presence in my life.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

“Speak Lord your servant is listening”.
Help me to make my daily prayer be the same as that of the prophet Samuel. Help me to be open to your voice, even when it says thinks I do not want to hear, but need to hear. Help me to trust you as one who cares for me utterly and who ultimately provides all that I need for this life. Help me to trust in your goodness and love.

Companions for the Journey

Reflection from the Torch Project Campus Ministry at DePaul University:

As Catholics, we know that God is always there, but there are certain times when it is easier to be aware of this than others. Let’s face it, when we feel hurt, rejected, unloved, or lost, it can be overwhelmingly difficult to see God’s light. Similarly, when we follow through with various temptations or fail to come to God in times of distress, we may end up straying away with him, like the single lost sheep that escaped from the shepherd, only to end up feeling shame and unworthiness.

However, there is a beautiful song by Casting Crowns titled “Even When You’re Running” that focuses on these very times. The chorus goes like so:

His love is inescapable. His presence is unshakable. Right now you don’t believe it’s true. A better day is coming. And you don’t need another place to hide. He’ll find you in your darkest night. His love is holding on to you. Even when you’re running.

See, we may run, but God will follow. We may make mistakes, but absolutely nothing you confess could make Him love you less. Truly, you are His child and no one, no person, no temptation, no sin, can ever take that away from you. After all, “Your fear isn’t dark enough, Your pit isn’t deep enough, Your lie isn’t loud enough, to keep Him away from you.” Let me share some insight from my youth minister, Amy Hodson. She once asked me: “Is the (Father, Son,) Holy Spirit present in this room? Right now?” I said, “Well, yeah.” She said, “Okay. Was the Holy Spirit present in this room 10 minutes ago?” “Yes,” I said. She said, “Exactly. The Spirit is always present, but we are not always mindful or conscious of this. However, when we take the time to be mindful, and to simply remember this, we can truly grasp the fact that we are never alone.”

And so, as long we get up and try. And try. And try once more to be mindful of this presence throughout the course of our lives, we will be rewarded by the Father with everlasting life. In your next time of loneliness or struggle, I encourage you to do this: Close your eyes and pray. Pray, and look for your shepherd. Do you see Him? He is waiting right in front of you with his arms wide open.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Do I really feel that Jesus knows me, and loves me as I am?
• What does Jesus’ presence in my life mean to me?
• Do I feel that I have to do all the work in this relationship I have with Jesus?
  What needs to happen for this belief to change?
  Is there anything I can do to be more aware of Jesus’ love and concern for me?
• People under stress can feel very insecure and may even doubt that God is watching over them. What events in the world may cause people to be stressed?
  What events in my life can make me feel stressed?
  Have I ever suffered failure and/or rejection? How did I handle it?
• Reflect on what it means for you to be in Jesus’ care, and what it means for our world to be in Jesus’ care. Then think of Jesus’ request to Peter in last week’s gospel: “Feed my Sheep”. What sort of shepherd are you called to be, now, today?
• Sometimes, the reference to non-clergy as “sheep” and the clergy as “shepherds” seems to imply that we are too stupid to think for ourselves; our job is to do what we are told. Some find this demeaning. Do you?
  In what ways are the priests and bishops that I have met been good shepherds of the people in their care?
  In what ways have they failed?
  We need to be honest about this if we are going to take Jesus seriously.
• Do you think that salvation is personal or communal. Or both?
• Do you have a sense of “belonging” to a group of friends, your family, or your church community—(your flock)?
  How do you contribute to the whole of each group? How are you accepted and treated by each group?
  Which group do you feel most a part of?
  Why is that?
  Is there any group that you feel left out of?
  Why is that, do you think?
• Can I hear the Shepherd as he speaks to me in our world through modern prophets and witnesses, as well as through those closest to me—those in my very household, or school, or place of employment?
• Can I hear the Shepherd’s voice in our church community?
• Can I BE the Shepherd’s voice in my community?
  Will this synodal process we are engaging in help me to answer this question?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

This gospel reading presents a very popular image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. And what a lovely image it is! Immortalized also in the beautiful Psalm 23 from Jewish scriptures, it depicts a God who watches over me: He leads me, he guides me, he soothes me, he prepares a table for me he anoints me. How wonderful it is to be loved and to be taken care of this way. But we cannot live forever in that idyllic and childlike space where we have no cares, no worries, no responsibilities. Life just is not like that. After a while, we grow weary of being sheep—needy, simple, passive.

This image of dependency has, unfortunately, been one which has been encouraged by religion, even the Catholic religion. Over the centuries, says Father Jude Sciliano, O.P., we have paid less attention to the voice that speaks to the entire community/flock and instead have placed the major responsibility for hearing God’s Word and teaching it on the clergy and hierarchy. This often allowed religious leaders to think of themselves, not as shepherds, but as sheepdogs, barking and snarling at those who strayed, biting at the heels of those who might be getting out of line. The end result is a timid and tentative people of God who think of themselves as recipients rather than as participants. We have become consumers of the religious experience, having others think and act and sometimes pray in our stead.

This consumer mentality is played out this way: We go to church. We pray prayers that have been written for us, with highly scripted and memorized responses, we listen to a homily delivered by an ordained minister who, it is presumed, has a closer connection to God and greater insights that we in the cheap seats might have. We receive communion, we listen to a sung meditation after the Eucharist, and we are dismissed and leave. This can give us the impression that we are recipients, observers, on the outside looking in. We are not owners, stakeholders, required to do something with our gifts for the sake of the Kingdom. Sometimes I think that we don’t really hear the words of Dismissal: in the exact translation of the Latin “Ite missa est” we are told: “Go! You have been sent forth”.

Maybe it suits us to be passive, because it is comfortable and comforting. Maybe it suits us to be passive because, then, nothing is expected of us. Do I think of myself as a consumer of the religious experience or as a true disciple? Do I believe my baptismal call as priest, prophet, and king? What are MY baptismal responsibilities, then?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

What are my priorities? For most of us, the first two are those we love, and personal success/happiness, however that is defined. And then we stop there. We often say that we are just too busy to help out. But ask any psychologist and you will learn that we are never too busy to make time for those things we want to make time for. We are never too old or too young, too tired, too stressed, too poor to be exempted. There is no time in our lives when we will have more time than we do now, or more energy than we do now. If we only live to serve ourselves and our own needs, we are missing the point of Jesus’ message. If we do well without doing any good, we are not living fully or graciously. We are not living the gospel. Where is the voice of the Shepherd directing me to service? How can I serve this Catholic Community at Stanford? How can I serve the larger community apart from my friends, my family, my career?

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

In this gospel passage, Jesus asserts that those who belong to him listen to His voice. because He knows them and gives them eternal life. Think of times in our history when human beings have listened to the wrong "shepherds"--military or religious leaders who have preyed on the weak, the poor, have waged war on countries, ethnic groups or nationalities which threatened their sense of security in some way. Have there been any leaders you can think of who have really shepherded their people and protected them without harming others in the process?
Do I think of Jesus as being my personal “shepherd”?
Do i listen to him?
Am I truly open to what Jesus is telling me right now?
What is He saying to meat this moment?
What can I do to remind myself of the nearness of Jesus?

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. —Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

When Merton wrote these words he had lived through seventeen years of monastic discipline and contemplative prayer as a Cistercian. It is helpful for us to reflect that if such a man could be confused or insecure, there is little reason to blame ourselves for our own perplexity. What shines through the confusion and insecurity is the profound trust in the are of the good shepherd Pause now and in silence consider these points: 1. To know the outcome of the journey is to trust God less. 2. If the Spirit leads us, the journey is not ours alone. 3. A journey of clarity and ease cannot reach a God of mystery and love. 4. The experience of uncertainty brings us closer to our companions on the journey. 5. No matter how unsettling the journey may be at times, God will not permit us to be lost. —Adapted from A Retreat with Thomas Merton by Anthony Padovano, p.10

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem by Denise Levertov. What does it tell you about the Spirit of the Good Shepherd in your life?

“The Avowal”

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them;
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

Closing Prayer

Excerpted from Thomas Merton, Passion for Peace, 227-229 Almighty and merciful God, Father of all, Creator and Ruler of the universe, Lord of History, whose designs are inscrutable, whose glory is without blemish, whose compassion is inexhaustible, in your will is our peace. Teach us to be long-suffering in anguish and insecurity. Teach us to wait and trust. Grant light, grant strength and patience to all who work for peace, To this Congress, Our President, our military forces and our adversaries. Grant us to see your face in the lightning of this cosmic storm, O God of holiness, grant us to seek peace where it is truly found. In your will, O God, is our peace!

Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2025

Feeding, forgiving, and helping others move on with their lives; that is the job of a follower of Christ

John 21:1–19

After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way.

Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”

So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.

So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.

The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.

Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.

This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Notes:

• [21:1–23] There are many non-Johannine peculiarities in this chapter, some suggesting Lucan Greek style; yet this passage is closer to John than Jn 7:53–8:11. There are many Johannine features as well. Its closest parallels in the synoptic gospels are found in Lk 5:1–11 and Mt 14:28–31. Perhaps the tradition was ultimately derived from John but preserved by some disciple other than the writer of the rest of the gospel. The appearances narrated seem to be independent of those in Jn 20. Even if a later addition, the chapter was added before publication of the gospel, for it appears in all manuscripts.
• [21:2] Zebedee’s sons: the only reference to James and John in this gospel (but see note on Jn 1:37). Perhaps the phrase was originally a gloss to identify, among the five, the two others of his disciples. The anonymity of the latter phrase is more Johannine (Jn 1:35). The total of seven may suggest the community of the disciples in its fullness.
• [21:3–6] This may be a variant of Luke’s account of the catch of fish; see note on Lk 5:1–11.
• [21:9, 12–13] It is strange that Jesus already has fish since none have yet been brought ashore. This meal may have had eucharistic significance for early Christians since Jn 21:13 recalls Jn 6:11 which uses the vocabulary of Jesus’ action at the Last Supper; but see also note on Mt 14:19.
• [21:11] The exact number 153 is probably meant to have a symbolic meaning in relation to the apostles’ universal mission; Jerome claims that Greek zoologists catalogued 153 species of fish. Or 153 is the sum of the numbers from 1 to 17. Others invoke Ez 47:10.
• [21:12] None…dared to ask him: is Jesus’ appearance strange to them? Cf. Lk 24:16; Mk 16:12; Jn 20:14. The disciples do, however, recognize Jesus before the breaking of the bread (opposed to Lk 24:35).
• [21:14] This verse connects Jn 20 and 21; cf. Jn 20:19, 26.
• [21:15–23] This section constitutes Peter’s rehabilitation and emphasizes his role in the church.
• [21:15–17] In these three verses there is a remarkable variety of synonyms: two different Greek verbs for love (see note on Jn 15:13); two verbs for feed/tend; two nouns for sheep; two verbs for know. But apparently there is no difference of meaning. The threefold confession of Peter is meant to counteract his earlier threefold denial (Jn 18:17, 25, 27). The First Vatican Council cited these verses in defining that Jesus after his resurrection gave Peter the jurisdiction of supreme shepherd and ruler over the whole flock.
• [21:15] More than these: probably “more than these disciples do” rather than “more than you love them” or “more than you love these things [fishing, etc.].”
• [21:18] Originally probably a proverb about old age, now used as a figurative reference to the crucifixion of Peter.

Music Meditations

• If You Love me, Feed my Sheep--Pamela Stewart and John Purifoy
• Feed My Sheep--Don Francisco--folk song style
• Do you Really Love Me?-Cary Landry
• The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Presence of God:

Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your forgiveness in my life, and more receptive to that forgiveness. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by selfishness, shame or fearl Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live freely in your love.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. Help me to do the same for others I encounter along the way.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names. Teach me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are. I need to be led by you. I need my heart to be moved by you. I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you. I need the world to be saved and changed by you. I need you for all those who suffer, who are in prison, in danger, in sorrow. I need you for all the crazy people. I need your healing hand to work always in my life. I need you to make me, as you made your Son, a healer, a comforter, a savior. I need you to name the dead. I need you to help the dying cross their particular rivers. I need you for myself whether I live or die. It is necessary. Amen.

From Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours (p. 67). Ave Maria Press – A.

Companions for the Journey

Peter is pretty bold in today’s account, considering his previous thrice denial of Jesus. Today’s story has poetic links to the night Peter betrayed Jesus. For example, both stories had Peter at a charcoal fire. John seems to be subtly inviting us to make the link between the two incidents: the time Peter stood by a charcoal fire during Jesus’ interrogation and today’s resurrection appearance where Jesus has prepared the fish and bread on a charcoal fire for his followers. Peter’s denial was in triplicate. In today’s setting he is given a chance to state his love for Jesus, again in triplicate. “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?...Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” We heard the Passion accounts and were stunned by Peter’s denial of Jesus. He was the first among the followers, one who, at the Last Supper, had adamantly proclaimed he would follow Jesus even to death. A strong protest of loyalty, followed soon by a humbling fall. But let’s not be too quick to blame Peter. Let’s not stand in judgment, we who in our lifetimes have our own record of small and even large betrayals of the faith we profess in public. Peter loved Jesus and was well-intentioned; he spoke from his gut. He really wanted to stay by Jesus, even die for him. However, he was speaking on his own, relying on his own strengths and determination. As well-intentioned as he was, this was simply not enough. It takes more than our own best intentions and good will to lay down our lives for Christ. We need the gift of the Spirit, which Jesus would give Peter and the others after his resurrection. Remember those “good news-bad news” jokes? There was one about Jesus: “The good news is that Jesus is coming back...the bad news is that he is as mad as hell.” Based on our human expectations, we might have expected Jesus to be “mad as hell” when he returned resurrected to his frightened disciples. He could have fumed and said, “I told you so! Didn’t I tell you I would rise?” He could have turned to Peter and said, “What a miserable disappointment you turned out to be! You were supposed to be the rock; you turned out to be butter!” To compound the betrayal, in today’s story Peter says, “I am going fishing.” Was he turning away from Jesus completely? Was he giving up on his call and returning to his old way of life? Was he taking a different leadership role, one that would lead the others back to a past moment before they met Jesus and followed him? Peter's going fishing suggests the disciples were unable to sustain their Easter faith beyond the connection with the actual appearances. So, their belief in the resurrection hadn't been translated into life and mission. After all they have experienced in their time with Jesus, and after having encountered the resurrected Christ, they seem to have forgotten his charge to them. They are not going “fishing”---- as in going out to catch others for Christ. They are just returning to their old business, as if nothing has changed their lives! Even Peter's tone suggests a kind of resignation, "I'm going fishing,” as if to say, "What else is there to do?" Things are falling apart and the call they received seems to have dissolved. While the disciples may have abandoned their call, it is encouraging to note that Jesus has not abandoned them. As in the beginning of the Gospel--- when he first calls them and after his resurrection, when he goes to them in the locked room--- he finds them and calls them again. And note where he finds them (and us)-- in the midst of their everyday working lives. They are at their old work and he goes there to meet them. In the midst of this ambiguity and recent failures, Jesus returns to face his disciples and, surprise of surprises, he is not furious with them. In fact, despite their complete collapse and disappointing behavior at a crucial moment, he is quite forgiving. We hear a hopeful message for ourselves today. Despite any failure on our part, we can always receive forgiveness and return to Jesus’ company of disciples. In addition, he is doing what he has called us to do: forgive those who have offended us. Today our failures and lapses may not seem as dramatic as Peter’s. Most likely we haven’t publicly denied Jesus three times, as Peter did. It is more likely that we have let things slip or not taken Jesus seriously enough in our lives. Our witness to his resurrection may be anemic. Perhaps we can recall an earlier time in our lives when our faith was filled with vigor and enthusiasm, but is now subdued and domesticated, made quite tame for appearances on the public stage of our lives. Another old saying comes to mind, “If it were a crime to be a Christian, would they have any evidence to convict us?” We bring these “betrayals” to this eucharistic meal today. Once again Jesus has taken the initiative. He has found us back in old patterns of behavior, in failures large and small. But as with Peter, so with us--- we are forgiven and restored to Jesus’ company. The early community had to make a decision: should they keep the story of Peter’s failures? How encouraging it is to us that they decided to keep this story and others that reveal Peter’s all-too-many human frailities. While it might have been embarrassing to Peter, it is reassuring for us. Despite his betrayal, Peter is forgiven and restored. As Jesus’ disciples we aren’t perfect; but we are forgiven. So, let’s put aside our protesting, “I’m no saint” and let’s set about the work we are called to do. And the next moment in the story lays out that work quite clearly. When the initial encounter is over between Jesus and his disciples by the seashore, Jesus is fast to get to the concern he has. He wants his ministry to continue through his disciples—to feed the hungry (“feed my lambs”). Now that Peter and the others are reconciled and their past failures put aside, Jesus once again issues his call to follow him. This time what is entailed in the call to discipleship is spelled out---they are to address the needs of the world. However, there is a sobering element added to the call; it will not be easy. We who would strive to live Jesus’ life are reminded we too will die his death. Resurrection does not eliminate suffering or death. The disciples in the first reading rejoice because, “they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” They had experienced the resurrection, they also experienced the cross. While Jesus is sending Peter to a place “you do not want to go,” he is not sending him on his own. Peter is restored to the table and to the meal that will nourish him for whatever self-emptying he must do. Jesus prepares a meal for Peter, he feeds him so that he can feed others. Have you noticed that in each of the resurrection accounts we have been hearing that there is always a call, a reminder of vocation? We are gathered at the meal Jesus provides for us today. Each of us has received a call to feed others—we do it through raising children, teaching, listening, comforting, encouraging, guiding, defending, protesting, cheering, etc. (There is, after all, “evidence” that could be used against us if it were a crime to be a Christian.) This work requires food for the long haul. We are, after all, not part-time Christians or disciples for a week; our vocation is a lifetime calling. Only the life of Jesus we receive in the eucharist can sustain his followers for such a marathon of fidelity and service.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

Do you love me?
Feed my sheep

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

From Fr. Paul Gallagher OFM, in “First Impressions” Part B: Why do you think the disciples did not recognize Jesus? Why doesn't Jesus ever say anything to them about the fact that they continually do not recognize him? Do I ever miss the presence of Jesus in the midst of my life? Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved? Were you able to place your faith in that person again? Do you think Jesus really felt the hurt of Peter's betrayal? What is the connection between Peter's profession of love for Jesus and Jesus' exhortation to feed his sheep? What implication does that have for you? When the disciples first saw Jesus at the lakeside, they did not know who he was. Then, with the eyes of faith, they “recognized” who he was. Do I carry on with my days as if Jesus had never lived, as if Jesus never rose from the dead? How can I strive for attentiveness to what is actually going on around me and see Jesus in those moments? Have there been times in my life when I “fished all night and caught nothing”? Has help ever come from an unexpected source? Did I sense Jesus’ presence in any of those situations? What does it mean for me to "cast my net to the other side" to begin to live fully in Jesus? What does Jesus’ invitation to “come and have breakfast” tell me about God’s concern about my human needs? How can I make myself more aware of God’s ongoing presence in my daily life? In your experience, has getting together and sharing food ever been an occasion for reconciliation? If not, why not, and what element was needed? (maybe forgiveness, but not assumed, demanded, or publicly bestowed…) Jesus could have held Peter's utter cowardice against him for the rest of Peter's life, but instead Jesus looked forward, not back. What do I have to lift from my own soul in order to go forward? Have I ever used past grievances to keep some sort of power over someone through their guilt? This probably wasn't the first campfire fish fry these disciples engaged in with Jesus, but it had a different outcome. Have I ever found myself in the same setting over and over again but without moving on? What hope does this story give me? Jesus asks Peter: "Do you love me?" (present time). How do we go from judging/condemning our past and start living in the present? Has there ever been a time in your life when someone did not give up on you despite past failures? How did you feel? Do you love Jesus? How do you know? How does Jesus know--or does He need to keep asking? What else does Jesus ask me to do if I love him? ( Be specific; do not just say: Feed His sheep) Are there any "sheep" in my life that I think Jesus might want me to feed? Has my forgiveness of another been as gracious, generous and complete as Jesus' forgiveness of Peter? Has life always gone as I have planned, or have circumstances taken me "where I did not want to go"? How did I deal with it? Am I prepared to face elements/circumstances over which I have no control? What do I think my reaction should be? What do I think it actually might be?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

In thinking about the desperation and discouragement of those first disciples after Jesus death, I am reminded of those in our own time who are desperate and discouraged as they see their homes destroyed, their livelihoods gone and most poignantly, their loved ones lost to the brutalities of a war they never wanted nor started. Several years ago at this time, they were at peace and filled with joy at the coming of spring and summer. Now they are enduring a winter of never-ending fear and sorrow, compounded by the lack of food, water, heat, health care and medicine. Can I even imagine what determination it takes to stay the course, to fight for their land, to abandon all they have and seek a new life elsewhere? Can I imagine what it is like to say goodbye to my husband, wondering if I will ever see him again? Can I imagine putting everything I care about into one small hold-all, leaving much of my family history behind? While we often express horror at what we are seeing happen in Ukraine, and while we express concern for those who have lost everything, most of us stop at the “thoughts and prayers” stage of compassion and limit our generosity to hoping things get better for them. But we, like Jesus, have to expend some energy and make some sacrifices of our own to share even a little of our everyday abundance with those so desperate. There are plenty of opportunities at our fingertips: “Save the Children Fund”, Catholic Relief Services, Doctors without Borders, the American Red Cross, and many others….but we each actually have to do more than make a list of agencies. We have to give. Maybe some wish to lobby their congressperson or senator to prod the USA to do more; maybe some can even take in a refugee family, as at least one household in Menlo Park has done. Jesus showed us that love is not a feeling, it is an action. What action can I take?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

Read the gospel again. Imagine that you are one of the disciples doing a little night fishing. Try to picture the boat and those in it. Close your eyes and try to recreate the entire night of tedium and lack of success. Imagine how you feel when someone calls to you from the shore and gives you some directions that make you suddenly successful. What would you do then? Who recognizes the Lord? Is it you? Or are you Peter, the enthusiastic one who jumps in the water? If you are just yourself, what is your reaction? What does this passage say to you about relying on God instead of trusting that you can do everything by yourself? How is this thought counter to everything we are taught about the virtues of self-reliance? Now imagine that you are Peter facing Jesus for the first time since you betrayed him. How uncomfortable is this for you? Why do you think Jesus cooks a meal for all of you? Why do you think he keeps asking you if you love him? Are you annoyed? Hurt? Ashamed? Think of a time in your life when you have disappointed God, then open yourself up to the love and forgiveness that is extended to you.

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

Read Isaiah 54:4-8: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 5 For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. 6 For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God. 7 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the Lord, your Redeemer. Now, relate these eight verses to your own life; hear God say these words to you and to you alone. Then speak your response to God's great compassion and mercy in the depths of your heat. If it works for you, write your response

Literary Reflection:

This poem seems to capture Peter’s growth into the man God wanted him to be:

In The Book

In the book is told the story of Peter--- he who denied Jesus— Peter whose extravagant love bloomed like Sunday breakfast. Also is told how he cried, a glory credited to him as to none other. Peter cried to know his denial; how perplexed he was by love, how undone like a shoelace. torn by love of him called Jesus who loved incomprehensibly, till it seemed even the rocks around him sang blessings. But Jesus told Peter what his heart had long known: you are weak and shall be harvested like a field of wheat ripe in October. Around you the weeds and flowers cluster eager to gather in your strength. Said Jesus further: Peter, be cut, sifted measured out. Let love be your source and their ground, In you let them find root.

—Rev. Ed Ingebretzen,S.J.

Literary Reflection:

Enjoy this poetic version of the gospel story by Father Michael J. Kennedy, S.J. (3rd Sunday of Easter)

Too Good to be True

Though it was An expectedly tense Meeting of the betrayed And his embarrassed traitor Still the scene at the fish fry at The shore where the Master Waited for the disciples Took a surprising turn For no penalty was Enforced or even hinted Just the suggestion of fish And Peter must have been Astounded that it looked like He might not be punished Or even scolded one Teensy weensy bit Again and again He asked him To share In the Feast And the author makes a Nice showing of balance For Peter is given the chance To tell him three times that he Loved him just as three times He had denied him yet there Really is no balance at all For the Lord simply gives Undeserved or earned Forgiveness showing Yet again that this Good News Really is too Good to be True.

Closing Prayer

From “Sacred Space 2022”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Jesus you meet me at the water’s edge of my ordinary life. You accept me lovingly, you encourage me, you invite me to abundance. Nourished by the food of your word, warmed by the fire of your unfailing love, May I, in turn, nourish, heal, and love those I meet today.

Second Sunday of Easter, April 27, 2025

What is faith? What is the role of doubt in faith?

John 20:19–31

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.’

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord,’ but he answered, ‘Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’

Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe.’

Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’

Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

There were many other signs that Jesus worked in the sight of the disciples, but they are not recorded in this book.

These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

Brief Analysis and Comparison of the Resurrection and Post-Resurrection Narratives) >>

Music Meditations

• Christ in Me Arise—Trevor Thomson
• Our God is Here—Chris Muglia (Praise and Worship)
• We Remember--Marty Haugen
• Come Thou Font of every Blessing—Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Preparation / Centering

If done in a group setting, the prompts are read aloud by the leader; otherwise a silent meditation.

Presence of God:

In times of stress and pressure, Lord, it is hard to remember that you are always with me, in my heart and soul. I breathe in and out slowly, silently repeating “Jesus, you are with me”, for several minutes.

[1-2 minutes of silence]

Freedom:

Jesus, I am free to believe in you, in your love, in your mission, in your constancy. I am also free to have doubts and worries, to waver now and then, knowing that you bless me and the freedom God has given me. [1-2 minutes of silence]

Consciousness:

Jesus, I sit quietly and become aware of where I sense hope, encouragement and growth in my life. I look at several incidents in the past month that have asked me to discern where I was going, with whom and why. I look at my responses and thank you for any signs of renewed commitment to you and your truth. I pray for resolve.

[2-3 minutes of silence]

Opening Prayer

Dear Lord, often we are ordinary persons, knotted up in our own worries and concerns that we cannot see your presence among us. Our doubts and fears often get in the way of our peace and growth. Help us to believe, more, to trust more, to rejoice more in your love and your company.

Companions for the Journey

This is a short writing from one of the Christian or non-Christian witnesses of our tradition, with a message that embodies the theme of the gospel we are studying today:

Adapted from “First Impressions” 2019, by Father Jude Siciliano, O.P., a service of the southern Dominican Province:

My first response to today’s gospel is, “Thank God for Thomas.” We are a long way removed from this event. As a modern person reading different resurrection accounts, I note variations in the details. I tend to want more accuracy in the stories so that I can show them to others and say, “Here, this is what really happened, all the witnesses agree.” That kind of coalescence of details would satisfy my need for neatness and my penchant for order. I would feel reassured. But would some newspaper report of the events two thousand years ago build my faith, help me believe when in crisis, keep me going over the long haul of discipleship? I wonder.

What we have instead, are stories filled with chaos and confusion. Everyone seems caught off guard by the resurrection. It was a surprise to them as they struggled to deal with something that was completely beyond their experience. So, Thomas’ skepticism sounds real to me. I would have responded similarly, because I respond that way these days. My doubts and struggles don’t go away, but are there despite my faith. I like it that someone I can identify with was on the scene, attempting to throw the cold water of “reality” on what must have been an ecstatic group of disciples. Since I wasn’t there, I want someone to speak my case. Thomas, who missed the first appearance in the upper room, stands in for us who are long removed from these events. His need for help in believing speaks our own needs as we survey a world that acts so contrary to resurrection and new life.

In addition, my own church appears to lack the vibrant faith of a resurrection-based community of believers. If we believe in the resurrection, why aren’t we a more alive community at Sunday worship? Why aren’t we, in a time of multiple military engagements, more outspoken witnesses for the shalom-peace Jesus wishes for his friends in the upper room? Our society needs a strong community’s voice to speak critically to a world of prejudice, fear, hatred, exploitation and oppression. Recent clergy scandals chip away at my resurrection faith as well. I stand with Thomas, hearing about resurrection, but sometimes feeling very removed from any vibrant manifestation of its reality. I am glad Thomas spoke up. I am glad he wrestled, as I do, with doubts. I am even happier that the risen Christ took all this into consideration and made that extra appearance–a return trip to the upper room- just to help a disciple work through his doubts and arrive at faith.

I suspect the early church, rather than denigrate Thomas as the weak link in the chain of faith, saw this story as a treasure. From the beginning there were naysayers who denied the resurrection and held the central belief of the church up to ridicule. For them the first community could point to Thomas, who also was a naysayer and attest, here is one who also doubted and then came to believe. Jesus’ passing through the locked doors of that room suggests he wasn’t and isn’t restricted by any place and time. So for us gathered at worship, we invite that same Christ to come to us, see our doubts and struggles and reassure our faith, we who haven’t seen, but try to believe. The risen Christ greets his frightened followers with a greeting of peace—“Shalom.” This was more than a “hello,” more than a “calm down, get a grip.” Remember earlier in this gospel Jesus promised his peace, “Peace I leave with you....” Today he bids his peace to them twice. They will take his peace into the world, empowered by the Spirit he breathes on them. We are reminded, as Jesus breathes on his disciples, of God’s breathing into the humans God formed from clay in Genesis. We are being created anew, with the life and breath of the Risen One. Now his followers will be able to live and preach his message of peace. God’s shalom was the promise made through the prophets. God would create a new community of believers who would practice forgiveness and harmonious relations, they too would be bearers of shalom, as Jesus was.

We are not merely looking back on one historical moment. Rather, whenever Christians practice forgiveness, overcome death in its daily guises–hatred, deceit, indifference, contention, violence, prejudice, etc —then the Spirit of Christ is alive and well in believers and the resurrection is expressed again in this moment and this time. We can’t “prove” the resurrection to non-believers, not even with this story of doubting Thomas. But we certainly can be fingers pointing to it whenever we are signs that the life of Christ has not been extinguished, but is enfleshed in his modern followers.

Most of us gathered for worship this Sunday probably don’t share the disciples’ fear. They feared for their lives; they had seen what had happened to Jesus. As his followers, they could expect similar treatment, so they locked themselves in to keep danger out. While we probably don’t have their limiting fears, we may have their initial doubts. They had heard Mary Magdalene’s report of the empty tomb (Easter Sunday’s gospel) and her meeting with the risen Christ (20:10-16). But her report was not enough to overcome their doubts. This may be the way Jesus’ message about not being afraid applies to us—he could be telling us not to be afraid because of our doubts. Don’t let our doubts paralyze us; instead of drawing on them, we must lean more on the faith we do have. In addition, we don’t stand alone in these doubts, we belong to a community whose members also struggle with their doubts. Our community worshiping around us today doesn’t consist of some doubters and other believers; it is comprised of believers who wrestle with doubts. Thomas with his doubts, surrendered to belief before the risen Lord. In fact, even seeing the risen Christ wasn’t initially enough for Thomas to have full faith.

Faith, it seems from today’s story, has to go beyond seeing and touching with our physical senses. Instead, like Thomas, the risen Christ encourages a leap of faith, “...do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas is a reminder today that our journey of faith includes doubt. We are fortunate to be among those Jesus called “blessed.” We have trusted the gospel news of the resurrection, have embraced it as our faith and have gone about living as people who draw life from a Spirit that had been breathed into each one of us.

If the resurrection has been told in any other way, we would have felt distant from it. Struggling with our incompleteness, the darkness of faith and the hurts we have experienced and observed in others, the last thing we need is a resurrected savior who comes to disciples all spanking clean and spruced up! This would have made him too removed from our lives. Instead, while he is resurrected, he still shows signs of his dwelling among us—his wounds. It was through his wounds, not in spite of them, that he was identifiable to those left behind. It was through these same wounds that we received our life. Our wounds do not set us apart from Jesus, indeed, they are signs of our union with him. And his wounds assure us we shall not be defeated by all that assails us. When Jesus enters the locked room where his frightened disciples are holed up in fear, he doesn’t come in a blaze of glory, surrounded by angelic powers and blinding light. He comes with his wounds---the wounded savior comes to his wounded disciples. Like us, his sojourn has dealt him heavy blows, he too has been battered. Since we all have wounds, Jesus shared even that with us. He wasn’t a casual visitor who just passed through our lives, an observer not fully involved.

Whenever we experience them in our lives, our wounds don’t have to defeat us. They link us to one another and to the risen Christ. His resurrection helps us bear these wounds and gives us hope that we are being healed of them. But even before complete healing happens, we know that in our own woundedness, we meet Christ, who comes through any barriers we may set up to cover our hurts. He would be with us where we are most protective and locked up---and there bring us his peace.

Weekly Memorization

Taken from the gospel for today’s session…

My Lord and My God

A Quote for the Week

from Rainier Marie Rilke: “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

Living the Good News

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?

Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

• Jesus entered that room through locked doors. Are the doors of my heart locked to Jesus?
• Jesus saw something in Thomas’ heart that others missed. Do I believe that Jesus sees into the deepest regions of my poor and doubting heart?
• If Thomas had to get away from the group for a while to process his grief and loss, he might not have been quite ready emotionally to believe a new reality when he has just begun to come to acceptance of the old one. Are there times when we are afraid to trust in joy or good news for fear we will be disappointed and devastated all over again?
• In this gospel, all of the other disciples in that room, except Thomas, had seen Jesus for themselves. What Thomas was asked to do was take their testimony and believe it. Do I ever question the credibility of the witnesses to Jesus I find in scripture?
  Am I Thomas’s twin?
• Thomas is the quintessential modern man, skeptical of easy answers and cheap grace. Have I ever said “I believe it when I see it.”?
  How unrealistic is it for me to believe what I have never seen?
  Is it only honest to admit this?
• 75% of our knowledge comes from accepting the word of others. We tend to have a hard time accepting that about which we are already skeptical or accepting that which we do not like to hear. Have I ever resisted the truth of a situation because it made me uncomfortable?
  Have I ever resisted the truth of a situation because it required me to change?
• How many of us like Thomas, make grand statements of principle, but have trouble following through?
• Can I speak to Jesus honestly about my fears and my doubts?
  Can I ever admit to Jesus that I sometimes have trouble believing?
• Thomas might have been so devastated by the death of Jesus that he was afraid to hope in the resurrection. Have I ever been in a situation in which I felt that it hurt too much to hope?
• Have you ever had a religious experience that was out of the ordinary?
  How did you respond?
  How did this experience affect your life?
• Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt hopeless or lost?
  Was Jesus present in this experience?
• Has it ever been difficult for you to believe in the fact that Jesus lives? Have you ever doubted the possibility of life after death?
• Have I ever had a strong intimation of the power and majesty of God?
  When?
  How did it change me?
• Most walk through life so far with doubt on one arm and faith/trust on the other. What are my doubts or fears?
  In what or whom do I trust?
• Thomas’s doubts grew when he was away from the community. When we doubt, we tend to give up, go away, drop out. Has this ever happened to me?
  Did I seek out other doubters or did I look for ways to stay strong and live with those doubts together with others going through the same things and hanging in there?
  How does my community of faith support me in my doubts or fears?
• How do I hang on to my beliefs in a climate of skepticism and cynicism which is so prevalent in our culture today?
  Do my doubts multiply in a climate of unbelief?
  Can I admit my doubts or do I mask them with bravado?
• What are some of the wounds I have sustained during my life?
  Have they permanently disfigured me, or has the healing power of Christ and of human love made those scars badges of honor?
• Does Christ enter into human experience through his own wounds?
• Did you notice that Jesus’ response was to welcome Thomas into his very wounds, his sorrow?
  Do I think Jesus understands my doubts, my fears, and welcomes me home?
• Too often we judge ourselves harshly because we remember “Blessed are those who have not seen and believed?” Well, good for them! But do I understand that I am loved and accepted by God, no matter where I am in my faith journey?
• Like Thomas, we sometimes set conditions for our belief and trust in God, demanding that He hear our prerequisites for belief or acceptance. Why is this such a human trait?
  Do we sometimes behave this way with others in our lives?
• Is there a climate of unbelief in our society? What in our culture undermines trust/belief? What supports it?
• Did I skip over the part int his gospel where Jesus says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”?
  What challenge is there for me in this statement?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Thomas was forever known as “doubting Thomas” because he at first refused to believe his fellow disciples when they told him what they had seen. What we sometimes forget to see in this gospel is that Thomas went beyond what he saw in the person of Jesus in that upper room, and was the first to recognize that Jesus was more than his resurrected self, more than his wounds. He saw that Jesus was God. Thomas was not doubting at all in the Jesus who stood before him; in fact he was expressing a more radical faith than any of the others had uttered. Thomas was willing to let go of his doubts and fears because of his utter faith in the divine Jesus. Thomas had no proof of this divinity; his faith must have come from a special gift of the Holy Spirit which allowed him to see beyond the physical to the mystical. He could not do this on his own. In my own life, have I ever had doubts or second-guessed my beliefs and assumptions? How willing was I to accept a new and more radical reality? Have I ever, like the father of the epileptic child in Mark (9:24), prayed: “I believe; help my unbelief”? Do I realize that sometimes we have to take “ a leap of faith” to trust our own instincts, to trust others, to trust the process of living and dying? How hard is that?

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:

freely adapted from “Sacred Space”, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

I imagine that I am one of the disciples there in the room when Jesus first appears. How shocked am I? Am I fearful? Comforted? Why do I think Jesus shows me his hands and his side? Does everyone in my community “see” that this is really the resurrected Jesus? Does it happen to each of us all at once, or is there a different pace of recognition for each of us? In my role as disciple in the upper room, am I at all hesitant to believe what I am seeing? How do I feel when Jesus says: ”Peace be with you”? What does it feel like when Jesus breathes on me and tells me to receive the Holy Spirit? Do I have any idea what he is talking about? When Thomas returns, do I rush to tell him what excitement he has missed? How do I feel when Thomas rejects my testimony and demands some sort of proof? Do I feel this is this a rejection of Jesus or a rejection of my own personal experience of Jesus?

When Thomas actually does encounter Jesus himself, he seems to forget his former need for proof. Did Jesus look into his heart and see the need that was there?

In my own life, do I ever feel that my experience of Jesus is special to me, and feel superior to those whose belief is harder won or even non-existent? In my own faith experience, do hope that God looks beyond my first reaction, my hasty words, and sees the need in me for love, for reassurance, for comfort? I sit quietly in Jesus ‘ presence and listen for his voice, being open to whatever he offers me. I resolve to give Jesus not just my intellectual belief, but to give him my heart, because he has already given me his.

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

Read Psalm 116b, 10I trusted, even when I said, “I am sorely afflicted,”  11and when I said in my alarm, “These people are all liars.” 12How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? 13The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the name of the LORD. 14My vows to the LORD I will fulfill  before all his people.  15too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful. 16Your servant, LORD, your servant am I, the son of your handmaid; you have loosened my bonds.  17A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the name of the LORD. 18My vows to the LORD I will fulfill before all his people,  19in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Alleluia Note especially line 15: "Too costly in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful." Within our community and our world there are innocent children and adults who are the victims of poverty and violence caused by war, greed, and political divisions. Seek out an organization dedicated to change the world for the better, such as Pax Christi, Physicians without Borders, Catholic Relief Services or any organization supporting Ukraine and learn as much as you can about what one individual can do to change things. Resolve to do ONE THING this week to aid the cause of justice and peace, whether it is learning more about an issue, donating money, or actually giving time to an organization or even just an individual who might need your help in a time of personal darkness. Pray for the Ukrainian people and for the Russian people.

Literary Reflection:

Read and enjoy the following poem by Michael Kennedy, S.J.

Nail Holes (2nd Sunday of Easter) **** Of all the places In the entire world Thomas was Absent from the place where Jesus Appeared and he must have wondered Why in the world he chose to be gone That night since he had decided he Needed a break from the disciples Who were trapped into a never Ending contest of second Guessing and so a week Later Thomas made it A goal that he would Be present if the Master came to Them again **** And as much as we Admire and praise all the disciples Perhaps our biggest thanks should Go to Thomas for he showed the Other disciples and us that Asking questions with even A skeptical mind was not Only a good idea but Probably mandatory as The quick response of The Risen Lord Would seem to Indicate **** For Thomas gives All followers of Jesus Permission to question even the Most central part of our faith So that after all is said and Done one of the center points After that first Easter Is quietly and simply The nail holes ****

Literary Reflection:

This is a lovely meditation (from a site called “Eleison”) on a poem by Denise Levertov, late a professor of English at Stanford University, who converted to Catholicism while she was here in her sixties and who wrote a Mass for the Day of St. Thomas (also called Mass for the Sunday of St. Thomas).: “Especially on this Sunday I am reminded of the poem “St. Thomas Didymus” by Denise Levertov. In her poem she exquisitely expresses both Thomas’ doubt as well as the beautiful revelation of the risen Lord. She draws a parallel between Thomas’ doubt and the epileptic’s father who exclaimed, “I believe Lord, help my unbelief.” Often, like Thomas, I struggle with doubts of my own. I often doubt that God will tend to me and provide for me as I walk the narrow way, stewarding my sexuality. I fear loneliness, rejection, isolation, and unhappiness as the result of my celibacy. However, I find much comfort in knowing that like Thomas I can express and speak aloud my doubts and like Thomas not be rejected for my doubt but met by the Risen Lord so I may cry, ‘You are my Lord and my God.’”

St. Thomas Didymus  In the hot street at noon I saw him a small man gray but vivid, standing forth beyond the crowd’s buzzing holding in desperate grip his shaking teethgnashing son, and thought him my brother. I heard him cry out, weeping, and speak those words, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief, and knew him my twin: a man whose entire being had knotted itself into the one tight drawn question, Why, why has this child lost his childhood in suffering, why is this child who will soon be a man tormented, torn twisted? Why is he cruelly punished who has done nothing except be born? The twin of my birth was not so close as that man I heard say what my heart sighed with each beat, my breath silently cried in and out, in and out. After the healing, he, with his wondering newly peaceful boy, receded; no one dwells on the gratitude, the astonished joy, the swift acceptance and forgetting. I did not follow to see their changed lives. What I retained was the flash of kinship. Despite all that I witnessed, his question remained my question, throbbed like a stealthy cancer, known only to doctor and patient. To others I seemed well enough. So it was that after Golgotha my spirit in secret lurched in the same convulsed writhings that tore that child before he was healed. And after the empty tomb when they told me He lived, had spoken to Magdalen, told me that though He had passed through the door like a ghost He had breathed on them the breath of a living man- even then when hope tried with a flutter of wings to lift me- still, alone with myself, my heavy cry was the same: Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. I needed blood to tell me the truth, the touch of blood. Even my sight of the dark crust of it round the nailholes didn’t thrust its meaning all the way through to that manifold knot in me that willed to possess all knowledge, refusing to loosen unless that insistence won the battle I fought with life. But when my hand led by His hand’s firm clasp entered the unhealed wound, my fingers encountering rib-bone and pulsing heat, what I felt was not scalding pain, shame for my obstinate need, but light, light streaming into me, over me, filling the room as if I had lived till then in a cold cave, and now coming forth for the first time, the knot that bound me unravelling, I witnessed all things quicken to color, to form, my question not answered but given its part in a vast unfolding design lit by a risen sun.

Closing Prayer

From Sacred Space 2022, a service of the Irish Jesuits:

Help us, Lord, to be before you and to hear your word in this time of prayer. You know the needs of our minds, You have heard our words. Now, let us listen to your voice and know your presence. We lay aside our demands and receive what it is you offer to us.

Good Friday, April 18, 2025

Jesus completes his mission on this earth

MUSIC MEDITATIONS FOR GOOD FRIDAY:

Pie Jesu—Faure or Lloyd Webber

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit

Jesus, remember Me—Taize

Going Home-sung by Bryn Terfel (the largo from the New world Symphony by Dvorak)

John 18:1—19:42

Chapter 18

1.After he had said all this, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron valley where there was a garden into which he went with his disciples. 2.Judas the traitor knew the place also, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, 3.so Judas brought the cohort to this place together with guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4.Knowing everything that was to happen to him, Jesus came forward and said, 'Who are you looking for?' 5.They answered, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' He said, 'I am he.' Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. 6.When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they moved back and fell on the ground. 7.He asked them a second time, 'Who are you looking for?' They said, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' 8.Jesus replied, 'I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.' 9.This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, 'Not one of those you gave me have I lost.' 10.Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11.Jesus said to Peter, 'Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?' 12.The cohort and its tribune and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him.

13.They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14.It was Caiaphas who had counselled the Jews, 'It is better for one man to die for the people.' 15.Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest's palace, 16.but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the door-keeper and brought Peter in. 17.The girl on duty at the door said to Peter, 'Aren't you another of that man's disciples?' He answered, 'I am not.' 18.Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others. 19.The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20.Jesus answered, 'I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together; I have said nothing in secret. 21.Why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught; they know what I said.' 22.At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying, 'Is that the way you answer the high priest?' 23.Jesus replied, 'If there is some offence in what I said, point it out; but if not, why do you strike me?' 24.Then Annas sent him, bound, to Caiaphas the high priest. 25.As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him, 'Aren't you another of his disciples?' He denied it saying, 'I am not.' 26.One of the high priest's servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, 'Didn't I see you in the garden with him?' 27.Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crowed.

28.They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves to avoid becoming defiled and unable to eat the Passover. 29.So Pilate came outside to them and said, 'What charge do you bring against this man?' They replied, 30.'If he were not a criminal, we should not have handed him over to you.' 31.Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.' The Jews answered, 'We are not allowed to put anyone to death.' 32.This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die. 33.So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him and asked him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 34.Jesus replied, 'Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others said it to you about me?' 35.Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?' 36.Jesus replied, 'Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not belong here.' 37.Pilate said, 'So, then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.' 38.'Truth?' said Pilate. 'What is that?' And so saying he went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no case against him. 39.But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release for you the king of the Jews?' 40.At this they shouted, 'Not this man,' they said, 'but Barabbas.' Barabbas was a bandit." 

Chapter 19

"1.Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; 2.and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head and dressed him in a purple robe. 3.They kept coming up to him and saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' and slapping him in the face. 4.Pilate came outside again and said to them, 'Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case against him.' 5.Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, 'Here is the man.' 6.When they saw him, the chief priests and the guards shouted, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves and crucify him: I find no case against him.' 7.The Jews replied, 'We have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to be put to death, because he has claimed to be Son of God.' 8.When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased. 9.Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus, 'Where do you come from?' But Jesus made no answer. 10.Pilate then said to him, 'Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?' 11.Jesus replied, 'You would have no power over me at all if it had not been given you from above; that is why the man who handed me over to you has the greater guilt.' 12.From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted, 'If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar's; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.' 13.Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated him on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14.It was the Day of Preparation, about the sixth hour. 'Here is your king,' said Pilate to the Jews. 15.But they shouted, 'Away with him, away with him, crucify him.' Pilate said, 'Shall I crucify your king?' The chief priests answered, 'We have no king except Caesar.' 16.So at that Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

They then took charge of Jesus, 17.and carrying his own cross he went out to the Place of the Skull or, as it is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18.where they crucified him with two others, one on either side, Jesus being in the middle. 19.Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: 'Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews'. 20.This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. 21.So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, 'You should not write "King of the Jews", but that the man said, "I am King of the Jews". ' 22.Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'

23.When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; 24.so they said to one another, 'Instead of tearing it, let's throw dice to decide who is to have it.' In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled: They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothes. That is what the soldiers did. 25.Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26.Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, 'Woman, this is your son.' 27.Then to the disciple he said, 'This is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. 28.After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed and, so that the scripture should be completely fulfilled, he said: I am thirsty. 29.A jar full of sour wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth. 30.After Jesus had taken the wine he said, 'It is fulfilled'; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit. 31.It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies' remaining on the cross during the Sabbath -- since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity -- the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. 32.Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. 33.When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs 34.one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.

35.This is the evidence of one who saw it -- true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true -- and he gives it so that you may believe as well. 36.Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: Not one bone of his will be broken; 37.and again, in another place scripture says: They will look to the one whom they have pierced.

38.After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus -- though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews -- asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. 39.Nicodemus came as well -- the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time -- and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40.They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom. 41.At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. 42.Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there." 

Companions for the Journey:

HOMILY FOR GOOD FRIDAY DEIVERED AT UNIVERSITY PUBLIC WORSHIP, MEMORIAL CHURCH 2008 Nancy Greenfield

The last words of Jesus, according to the writer of the last canonical Gospel, were the cryptic: "It is finished".

What is finished?

I think it depends on your perspective.

Let us, in our mind's eye, gather around the cross and observe the reactions of those intimately connected to the fateful events of that day:

For the High priests, this is the end, or so they think, to all those incendiary speeches, dangerous gatherings of people who are beginning to question the authority of the temple, and who are beginning to see the high priests as collaborators in a system which kept the peace with Rome, but did so on the backs of the poor and marginalized. It is an end to a public relations nightmare in which Rome once again looks at this corner of the world as a hotbed of discontent and sedition. The traitor is dead.

It is finished; FINALLY!

Soldiers on a hill, obeying orders from above. Nasty job to pull. But somebody has to. Wretched day. Hot. Humid. Cloudy. Storm brewing. Anybody for a quick game? Thirsty! Listen to that one. He's thirsty! If you are the king of the Jews, get out of this one — if you can. A bad job; but it's over now. Another day, another shekel. (1.) It is finished:

Two thieves, each with a different reaction on their last day on earth: One is desperate for life, disappointed when Jesus can't pull off the final miracle. "I knew you were a fake!" The other, sensing something larger than life is happening here: "This man has done nothing wrong." But for each of them, there is no coming down from that cross alive.

It is finished.

The crowd dwindles. The shouting subsides. Wagging their heads they snort and chuckle. Destroy the temple! Who did he think he was? Rebuild it in three days! He fancied himself at playing Solomon. Good riddance, I say. That was a good one.

But it's finished now.

Somewhere in the shadows lurks a free man. Released from prison his first day out of jail. Barabbas delivered from bondage! His term of sentence?

It is finished.

Off in the distance on the palace balcony stand Pilate and his wife. A nightmare come true, but after all — I didn’t really know him. It wasn’t as though he were somebody important. What's done is done. " What I have written I have written," And that's that.

It is finished (2.)

The disciples--men and women, many of whom have been expecting a radical change in the religious philosophies and the social structures at the hand of Jesus surely realize that it is finished, and not in a good way, on that fateful afternoon when Jesus dies. "I left my family, my good life as a fisherman to follow him. I thought we had every chance of success. I was going to be his right hand person in his new kingdom. He is the only one who understood everything I ever did. What now? I guess it's back to the job of trying to make a living fishing. That 's it. We failed.

It is finished." (3)

What is finished?

When I was a child, I heard over and over again in one version or another: Jesus' job, to die for our sins, is finished. Jesus had to die in order for humanity to be restored to God's favor. Jesus' death settled the debt we owed by sinning, and opened up the gates of heaven for us once more. When Jesus' death is understood in light of salvation spirituality, his was a necessary sacrifice for all mankind. The reasoning, according to St Anselm in 1097, goes something like this: the human race has sinned, from Adam on down, and all crime must have punishment. Therefore, God must require a punishment, a price, before God can forgive our sins or crimes. God's anger will only be appeased by human sacrifice. This human sacrifice must be unblemished and perfect, so no one other than Jesus, the God-Man will be adequate. Jesus died for my sins. The payment has been made, the debt has been satisfied. (4.) Jesus came to save us. And that job is finished.

Sorry folks, I just don't buy it. For many of us, both in and out of the Christian communion, this notion of substitutionary atonement is more of a stumbling block than a help. For many of us, this reasoning flies in the face of our understanding of God as Abba, a loving daddy. What parent would demand the death of a son or daughter as payment for disobedience? Not a normal one.

Oh yes, Jesus came to save us, but not in the way we expected

Jesus became human to show us how to save ourselves from ourselves. He came to give us a vision of how life could be if it were ordered according to the principles of God instead of principles of humans. Jesus came to show us how to love. How to heal, and how to forgive. And this is what he did from one dusty corner of Israel to other. This is what he preached when he spoke of the laborers in the vineyard, or the Prodigal Son. This is what he did when he refused to counter violence with violence in his last hours on this earth. The legacy Jesus left is there for all of us to recall, recounted every time we pick up a gospel reading. . Too often we look on Jesus' death as a one-time solution to all that ails the earth. Too often we pray to God for an end to war, or poverty or injustice, expecting God to make it happen without any change or effort on our part. God has chosen since the beginning of time, to work in and through humans, and if the kingdom of heaven is to be attained, it must be through our own efforts, using the words and works of Jesus as a lodestar.

And when he died on that dark and dreadful day, his part in the drama we call the History of the Earth was over. It was finished. God or no God, by becoming fully human, one in solidarity with all of humanity, it was ordained that he would die--and the manner of his dying showed those who suffer: "I will suffer with you." He had done all he could to leave behind a legacy of love and mission. Unfortunately, the world Jesus left behind is a broken, messy world, riddled with sin and selfishness, and the project of healing is an interactive one between God and us. It is our job to do our part to finish what Jesus started.

And it that sense, it is not finished.

Look around folks.

We got trouble, right here in River City.

Right here on our small planet, we are busy killing one another and have been doing so since the days of Cain and Abel. When we speak of war casualties, --which in this war, numbers 4300 and counting- we rarely count the losses to our "enemy". When we speak of deterrents, we don't always stop to consider that our little planet has enough weapons of mass destruction stockpiled to annihilate every person on this earth. On our small planet, we are punching holes in the ozone layer, polluting the oceans with oil spills and ruining rivers and streams with industrial waste. Some animals, driven out of their habitat by encroaching civilization and industrialization, starve or are killed for profit. Currently, there are over 1000 species of birds and mammals that are facing extinction. And let us not forget that the collateral damage of war is the scorching of Mother earth itself.

IT IS NOT FINISHED!

Right here in this land of the free, last time I looked, bigotry and prejudice were alive and well. Stories of discrimination and hate crimes against Blacks, Asians, gays, women, Jews, Muslims; against "those people" who are not like us--these stories are in the newspaper and on the daily news every day. Every day!

Right here in this prosperous country, the younger you are, the more vulnerable you are. Among industrialized countries, America is the first in military technology, in military exports, in defense expenditures, in millionaires and billionaires, in health technology, but 17th in efforts to lift children out of poverty, 18th in infant mortality, last in protecting our children against gun violence. As our country has grown richer, our children have grown poorer. (5.)

Every 40 seconds a child is born into poverty. Every minute a child is born without health insurance. Every three minutes a child is arrested for drug abuse. Every six minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime. Every eighteen minutes a baby dies. Every two hours a firearm kills a child or youth.

Every day in America 8189 children are reported abused or neglected. (6.)

Every day.

IS SO NOT FINISHED!

Right here in our own small town, today and tomorrow people are surging or sending surrogates into the grocery stores to provision for the Easter feast as if it were the last banquet. As we exit the stores we don't even see the people sitting outside on an upended box with crudely lettered cardboard signs saying: "Homeless. Out of Work. Please help." As darkness closes in, small groups of desperate people arrange their meager bundles for another night in the open. The homeless shelters are full, the lines at St. Anthony's get longer and longer. Right here in our small town, many of the elderly have to make a choice between food and medication, between food and heat. Right here.

IT IS NOT FINISHED!

And we pray to God to fix it.

"Please God, give us peace. Stop people from fighting with us. Please God, stop people from polluting the earth. Please God, end discrimination and poverty and safeguard the most vulnerable. "

I ask you, is this the best we can do to love one another as Jesus has loved us? I think we can do better.

Jesus is no longer with us, and in the words of St Theresa of Avila: " God has no body now but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on the world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the earth. "

Instead, Let us pray to God to fix us:

Jesus, Man of Peace,

Give us the wisdom to look beyond military power and brute force to see that the collateral damage of war is often the life of an innocent child, or somebody's mother or hundreds and thousands of homeless and dislocated souls living in refugee camps.

Lord of Consolation,

I want to see with loving eyes all those lonely and hopeless

ones who have no one to talk to, who are locked in their own misery, who are too old to matter to anyone any more. Give me eyes of compassion to look at the faces behind the faces that I meet every day. Help me to see as fellow travelers those tucked into homes lighted for the evening, and in the homeless who arrange their bundles at the end of the day. Give me ears to hear the voices of the needy and the non-voices of silent desperation. Help me to have the courage and the energy to spend something of myself on their behalf Give me a heart that cares and words to heal.

Jesus, brother and friend, you left us an awesome and difficult task--It is not finished.

I am not finished.

I have barely begun.

1. adapted from God Has A Story Too by James A. Sanders, Elizabeth Hay Bechtel Professor of Intertestamental and Biblical Studies at the School of Theology, Claremont, California, and Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate School. He is also the author of Torah and Canon.. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Paul Mobley. God Has A Story Too was published in 1979 by Fortress Press, Philadelphia

2. Ibid

3. Ibid

4. Crossan, John Dominic and Borg, Marcus: The Last Week, p139

5. Walter Burghardt: To Be Just is to Love, 190

6. Ibid

HOMILY FOR GOOD FRIDAY ECUMENICAL SERVICE MEMORIAL CHURCH 2018

John Kerrigan

What would be a crucifixion for me? To feel that I’m absolutely alone, that nobody cared for or wanted me, that it really didn’t matter to anyone whether I lived or died.

About five years ago, I received an email from a former work acquaintance. Her name was Alice and she lived on the east coast. Alice’s note had a frantic tone to it: her son, Chris, enrolled in college in the Bay Area, was failing out of school. Furthermore, he had refused to meet with his academic advisor and stopped attending his therapy sessions. Alice asked if I would meet with Chris; I readily agreed. I sent her son a brief text introducing myself. His reply was hardly encouraging. “What do you want from me?” he wrote. After a few more emails back and forth, he agreed to meet. In my first face-to-face encounter with Chris, I sensed that he was exceptionally paranoid and obscenely angry. Think for a moment about J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield in "Catcher in the Rye" and, then, multiply that character’s cynicism by ten and you’ll start to get a picture of Chris. As we spoke, I quickly learned about his former friends, former girlfriend, and former stellar grades. I also learned about his current struggle with the prescription drug Adderall. Over time, I realized that Chris was experiencing the crucifixion of feeling entirely alone. In his mind, no one cared about him; he also had convinced himself that he could care less about anyone else.During the course of subsequent meetings, I simply listened to Chris and allowed him to vent. Ultimately, he decided to withdraw from school and move back east, primarily for economic reasons. I saw Chris for the last time a few days before his departure and helped him move some boxes from his apartment to a place where they could be shipped back east. As I was about to leave, I handed Chris a hat from the Stanford golf course (just like this one), and told him that it might come in handy as he coped with the summer heat back home. As we said our goodbyes, Chris casually handed the hat back to me. I was confused and said, "Chris, this is a gift; it’s yours to keep." He seemed genuinely surprised and said, “I thought you were joking. You mean I can keep it?" Whereupon, he put it on, and with a grin, said "thank you". It was the first time that I had heard him speak those two words.

Now, why do I share the story with you? For two reasons, actually.

First, because it reminds you and me that Calvary is not just a place nor is it a moment in time. Calvary comes to life whenever and wherever the body of Christ is scourged, stripped, broken, pierced. There is the Calvary of war and bigotry, the Calvary of persecution and poverty. There is the Calvary that dwells in every human heart, whenever we turn toward sin and away from Christ. There is the Calvary of young Chris being bound by the chains of despair and self- loathing. The miracle of Good Friday, though, is the realization that by God's grace, Calvary isn't the end of the story.

Second, I share the story about Chris so that we can spend a moment reflecting on the meaning of a "gift." Gifts are something that are given freely. They can, however, be received or ignored by the person for whom they are intended. Chris’s outer shell was pretty hard; he had a difficulty receiving and accepting a gift, though he did eventually embrace my gesture of friendship. It takes a certain humility to accept a gift and, more so, to accept that it is given freely by someone who thinks enough of us to give us that gift. This Good Friday we need to ask ourselves, “Are we willing to accept the gift of God’s unconditional love in our lives? Are you and I willing to stop making excuses for who we are and accept the fact that the person that God’s loves is the person that God made, you and me, just the way that we are?”

For a moment, let’s also ask ourselves, “Why do we call this Friday "Good?” Perhaps, because God used it to remind you and me that our humanity was something precious. After all, Jesus took on our flesh, he was born in the same way that you and I were born. I have no doubt that God could have worked out our salvation in many different ways. Instead, God decided to save us by taking on our flesh and pitching a tent among us. God became one of us because God wanted to experience what we experience and in the same way that we experience it. Recall for a moment, Paul's letter to the Hebrews: "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."

If you and I want to know the meaning of the word God, we need only look at the life, death and destiny of Jesus of Nazareth. Likewise, if you or I want to know what it means to be a human being, we need look no farther than Jesus of Nazareth. The fullness of humanity revealing the fullness of divinity is found in the gift of Jesus of Nazareth. Which brings us back to God's "gift" this somber day. In all of his ministry, through to the Last Supper and passion and death on a cross, Jesus is saying to us, ‘If you want to hold on to your life, if you try to preserve it, if you grasp it and will not let it go, you will lose it. But, if you give your life away, if you hand it over, if you are willing to die, you will discover that you cannot run out of life.’ Hold onto life, you lose it; give it away and life becomes everlasting.

Good Friday reminds you and me that we will lose what we hold onto and can never run out of what we freely give away. Let’s apply this principle to our education and work lives as well. You and I may believe that our schooling and careers are gifts given to us to be grasped, prizes that we have achieved and strive to hold on to so as to advance in our professions or to make more money and provide for our family. And, actually, these are fine outcomes. However, if we think that these outcomes are all that our education and work lives are about, then perhaps we are unworthy of both. For the real reason for our education and life of work is to give us a greater ability to serve others. We never truly grasp the full fruits of our education and work until we give them away to others. The measure of our success is the degree to which people who never came to Stanford or set foot in Silicon Valley experience lives that are richer, fuller, more genuinely human because you did go to Stanford or you do work in Silicon Valley.

On Good Friday, Jesus gave everything, until there was nothing left to give – "Father, I hand myself over to you. It is finished.” To be able to give away everything is what all of us are in training to do, from the moment of our baptism. And in doing so, becoming a little more human. And in becoming a little more human, we become genuinely holy.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with Chris and his mother. Though the road’s been bumpy, he's navigating life much better. But, to one degree or another, isn’t life a bumpy road for you and me also. Alice did tell me, though, that the hat that I gave him as a token of our brief friendship is now threadbare from wear; that fact pleased me greatly.

Thanks to the gift of the Incarnation, you, I and God have one thing in common— we’re all human. Therefore, if we wish to be like God, let’s set our minds and hearts on being more human. And the way to be more human is to help others to be more human. To give yourself away.To discover that fact is to discover everything that is important in the Christian tradition. That is the gift that has been given to us this day. Give it away!

Reflections and Meditations:

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:

The Way of the Cross, (adapted from Surrender: A Guide for Prayer by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and Sister Marie Schwann, which is volume 4 of a 5-volume series based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius):

1. As Jesus appears before Pilate, I remember a time when I experienced being misunderstood, condemned:

2. As Jesus receives his cross, I recall a time when I received a cross in my life:

3. As Jesus falls the first time, I remember when I experienced my first failure, my own limits

4. As Mary encourages Jesus, I remember someone who encouraged me to follow God's call; I remember how he or she looked at me:

5. As Simon helps Jesus carry his cross, I consider who has been there to lift a burden from shoulders, from my heart:

6. As veronica wipes the face of Jesus, I remember the Veronicas in my life--those who stood by me, comforted me, even at the risk of their own rejection:

7 As Jesus falls a second time, I recall the times when I have experienced the helplessness of failing, knowing I would fail, again and again:

8. As the women reach out to comfort Jesus, I remember the faces of those whom I have reached out to comfort, even in my own pain:

9. As Jesus falls a third time, I recall a time when I felt as if I was totally defeated and could not go on:

10. As Jesus is stripped of his clothing, I remember the experience of feeling so emotionally naked, so publicly demeaned, so vulnerable before others:

11. As Jesus is nailed to the cross, I consider the things that bound me, kept me "fastened" to my own sorrow, failures or disappointments:

12. As I imagine Jesus dying on the cross, I try to recall a time when I loved so unconditionally, so completely, that I gave my all:

13. As I imagine Mary holding the dead body of her son, I pause and remember those who have held me up in life, nurtured me, and grieved with me:

14. As Jesus' body is laid in the tomb, I consider what in my life keeps me entombed, where I most experience death:

Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Which of the "Seven Last Words of Jesus" in the four gospel accounts of The Passion

speak to you the most? Why?

Mark: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Matthew: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Luke: Father forgive them; they don't know what they are doing.

Today you shall be with me in Paradise.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

John: Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.

I thirst.

It is finished.

Poetic Reflection:

Read the following poem by A.E. Houseman ( 1896). Imagine that, despite the rather English idiomatic language and context, Jesus is actually the speaker. Which phrases do you think are really true and which are not really true to Jesus himself? Do you think Jesus ever second-guessed his choice to leave home and the trade he practiced for many years?:

THE CARPENTER’S SON

Here the hangman stops his cart:

Now the best of friends must part.

Fare you well, for ill fare I

Live, lads, and I will die.

Oh, at home had I but stayed

‘Prenticed to my father’s trade,

Had I stuck to plane and adze,

I had not been lost, my lads.

Then I might have built perhaps

Gallows-trees for other chaps,

Never dangled on my own,

Had I left but ill alone.

Now, you see, they hang me high,

And the people passing by

Stop to shake their fists and curse.

So ‘tis come from ill to worse.

Here hang I, and right and left

Two poor fellows hang for theft:

All the same’s the luck we prove,

Though the midmost hangs for love.

Comrades all, that stand and gaze,

Walk henceforth in other ways;

See my neck and save our own:

Comrades all, leave ill alone.

Make some day a decent end’

Shrewder fellows than your friend.

Fare you well, for ill fare I:

Live, lads, and I will die.