Faith

A faltering faith on Easter Sunday – Thursday within the octave – Acts 3:11-26/ Luke 24:36-48

Read also https://www.pottypadre.com/easter-a-call-to-repentance/ based on the first reading of today.

Finally, at the end of the first and very eventful Easter Sunday, the Gospel of Luke has Jesus revealing himself to his inner circle and the reaction is ‘surprising’ to say the least; for want of using a stronger word. Let’s put this text in context. Jesus has risen as he said. The angels have proclaimed the resurrection to the women but their testimony was met by the disciples as idle tales. Peter runs to the tomb but is ‘amazed,’ there is no proclamation of the faith in the resurrection.

The Gospel on the first Easter Sunday, focuses on two more disciples who have quit the mission and head to Emmaus. They ‘invested’ their hope in Jesus and that hope was dashed to the ground. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus makes a choice to appear to two downcast and disbelieving disciples. But having warmed their hearts with his word and opening their eyes with the breaking of bread, their feet are set back on the path to Jerusalem.

On arriving in Jerusalem, the two disciples are told that the Lord “appeared to Simon” even though the text before this does not indicate that Jesus appeared to Simon. At this stage in the resurrection narrative, we are told that the disciples returning from Emmaus testify to the rest, their encounter of the resurrected Lord. All this takes place on Easter Sunday.

Now, very late in the evening, on the first Easter Sunday, the Lord finally appears to the eleven and their companions. This was it; this was the moment every knee in the room should have bowed and every tongue proclaimed the glory of God. Ironically, their response was incredulity. Let me list the words that follow; they were startled, terrified, thought they were seeing a ghost, while in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering. That is a lot of doubt and imperfection for the first Easter Sunday.

The Lord had quite a job on his hands. Strangely, it seems that he had now to ‘convince’ the eleven and their companions that he had risen as he said. He had to calm them down with words of peace, confront them about the doubts in their hearts and fear in their lives and prove that he was no ghost. He offers them his hands and feet as evidence so that they may touch him and see he is not ghost. Then as if to offer further proof, he asks for something to eat which he eats in ‘their presence’; not that he is hungry but because a ghost would have no need of food.

He then spoke to them, convincing them of the words he had spoken with them when he was with them. He had to teach and instruct them about the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms that spoke of the fulfillments in his mission. He had to open their minds (closed with disbelief even now) to understand the scriptures and reminded them of their mission to be witnesses to these events. Personally, I would have settled the matter with one hard, dirty stare to say the least…but then the Lord is kind and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

To many, who actually read the Easter narrative with a keen eye, the entire episode appears as madness. The incredulity on the part of the apostles and disciples is shocking. Yet Jesus approaches all of this as with a method to the madness of our oft failing faith. To his disbelieving disciples, he first encounters them in their failure to recognize him. He then explains and interprets the resurrection through the lens of the scriptures. He Eats with them breaking bread or fish. He Enlightens the disciples and opens their eyes and finally he exits. He Encounters, he explains, he eats, he enlightens and exits. Such is the patient God we have.

Why does Christ do all this? Jesus came with a mission from the father. That mission needs to be strengthened in the face of faltering faith. God holds our hands when faith falters. Is it tiresome to God to remind us not to fail? I think not. At times I presume he is a bit vexed. In the Gospels he says to the disciples “have I been with you so long and you still do not understand me?” Those words could be said to us too.

For Jesus, the apostles had a mission to preach and proclaim his message of repentance and forgiveness of sins in HIS name. For many, this may sound like we have not left the themes of Lent behind. The reality is that the message never changes because the liturgical season has changed. The call to repentance and forgiveness is preached in season and out, be it Lent or Easter. The Easter message is not different from the Lenten message but a continuation of it because the mission of Christ was singular.

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Are you still walking to Emmaus? Wednesday within Easter Octave – Acts 3:1-10/ Luke 24:13-35

Read also https://www.pottypadre.com/beggar-to-believer/ based on the First reading at Mass

The Gospel of Luke begins with the women at the tomb and an Easter proclamation by the angels which ironically began with a ‘chastisement’. The women have come to the tomb with spices. Yes, they love the Lord, loved him enough to bring spices to embalm a dead body. Yet all along Jesus said he would rise again and the women had not understood or believed. The angel must have been a bit cross when he said, “why do you look for the living among the dead?” What is interesting is that unlike the other Gospels, the women have not encountered the risen Christ in the flesh, they are simply told he is risen; they just have the word of the angel and they believe.

While in all the other Gospels it is Christ who appears first to the Mary Magdalene or the women, here in the Gospel of Luke Christ does not appear to them first but rather to two disciples on the road Emmaus. It’s a bit ironic when you come to think about it because the Gospel of Luke is always touted as the Gospel for women.

In any case, these men are certainly not models of faith. Hardly had Easter Sunday dawned than these two disciples folded their tents. They were heading presumably home to Emmaus. We are told it was a seven-mile journey by foot. While this was not a long journey it was certainly a burdensome one. Some walks are longer than others not because of the miles we have to traverse but the burden we carry.

Like it or not, these two disciples seemed to have abandoned the cause if not lost their way. So lost were they that their paths took them in the direction of Emmaus which was West of Jerusalem, the path of the setting sun. In many ways Jesus did not meet ‘their expectations,’ for they say, “OUR hope was that he was the one to redeem Israel.” (Verse 21). The disciples reflect many men and women of faith whose hope is lost because their expectations from Jesus are not met. Now as they walked away, the disciples begin discussing or as the Greek word, ‘ antiballette’ suggests, they were ‘putting together’ the pieces as one would do in a forensic investigation.

Jesus has a habit of interrupting our lives and for good reason! “What are you discussing?” His simple question was met with sarcasm, “are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” Interestingly and unlike many of us on Twitter, Jesus does not take the bait but rather begins a very therapeutic discussion which ironically begins by calling out the disciples as foolish. It is not a great way to put your point across or begin presenting your point of view but oddly ‘foolish’ worked.

So enamoured were they by this stranger and his teaching that “urged him strongly” to ‘stay with them; to abide with them.’ The Greek translation of these words “urged him strongly” translates as compels or ‘to twist one’s arms.’ Jesus was really playing it hard to get! Yet they urged him strongly because his words caused their ‘hearts to burn with in.’ The words of Jesus are addictive if we but listen to it. The words of Jesus are addictive if but preachers break his word.

Having prevailed upon Jesus to stay, they settle down to a meal…it seems Jesus truly ate his way through the Gospels. Unknown to them they are making history, sitting down to the first meal with Jesus after his resurrection. He breaks the bread having already broken the word. Notice that the Liturgy at Mass follows this pattern. The word is broken first at the ‘table of the word’ and then the bread is broken at the ‘table of the bread’.

At every Mass we are fed from two tables; we are nourished in our heart and in our bodies. So, you can’t stroll into Mass after the readings and just be fed with his body; it’s an incomplete feeding. We are nourished to nourish others. Note, having broken the bread, Jesus vanishes creating space for us to do what ought to happen naturally; for us to go out and proclaim what we have experienced and received.

The disciples do not wait for their retirement to go out and become evangelist. The hour of their conversion was the hour of their proclamation. That same hour they turned to Jerusalem, back in the direction of the East, back in the direction of the rising sun! This time they are not downcast, this time there is no debate or dissection of the events. This time there is faith, there is clarity, there is certainly; they make known to the disciples what had happened at the breaking of the bread.

Each day at Mass, the word and the bread is broken. The mass ends with the words, “the mass is ended, go and proclaim the Gospel.” Where do our feet take us after mass? To Jerusalem or to Emmaus?

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Faith

How do you know if Jesus speaks to you? Tuesday within the Easter Octave – Acts 2:36-41/John 20:11-18

Read also https://www.pottypadre.com/transformation-not-information/ based on the first reading of today.

There are several times that I have heard the voice of Jesus talking to me. I ask him a question and he gives me an answer. Ironically this is always followed by doubt, which most certainly is sowed by satan. The first things that satan tries to do is to convince me that this is not HIS voice but my mind giving me the answers that I want to hear. I am sure this has been the experience of many people of faith.

So how do you know if Jesus is actually speaking to you while you are praying? The first thing that must be said is that while it is possible that God could speak to just about anyone out of the blue, that possibility is also as slim as a blue moon. It is true, that God spoke to St Paul who consented to St Stephen’s murder and threw him off his high horse. Yet, I must caution those who take comfort and hope that the same may apply to you. But for those who are in constant communion with God in prayer his voice becomes easily discernable overtime.

In the Gospel of John (10:27), Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” To know the voice of Jesus, the sheep must first know the shepherd. Sadly, our shallow spiritual life may lead us to bit of information about the shepherd; we may know about him but the question at hand is do we know him? Mary of Magdala knew him personally for she had shared in his ministry from the moment he touched her life till the moment his life ebbed out on the cross. He had called her by her name many times and she knew her master’s voice.

Why then did she not recognize Jesus? From the Gospels we know that the women were not looking for a resurrected man; they were looking for a dead man; this is why they came with spices, for spices were used to anoint the dead. Faith in the resurrection was something she heard the Lord speak of (like we do) but faith in his promise was yet to dawn on her.

Perhaps she did not recognize the Lord because we know that our resurrected bodies will not be what they are on earth. Mary perhaps did not recognize his resurrected form. Or perhaps it was early in the day, “while it was still dark” (John20:1) when streetlights had not yet come to be installed…. Or perhaps as in the case of the two disciples on the road to the village of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) we are told “their eyes were kept from recognizing him” until he had explained how the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled by him. Whatever be the case, what the eyes could not recognize, the ears picked up and this sheep heard her master’s voice.

Jesus said just one word, and all was explained. She heard her name called out by a familiar and distinct voice; a voice she had heard so often. She instantly called Him ‘Rabboni’. Jesus didn’t reveal Himself to Mary by telling her who He was, but by telling her who she was to Him. She was Mary who will henceforth will not just be a disciple but will be elevated to an apostle. Let me explain this.

In the Gospel of John, Mary is the first one to see the resurrected Lord. She tells the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” It was not Peter or John who entered the empty tomb and saw the Lord; strangely while the Gospel of John tells us that Peter and John entered the tomb and that John believed (nothing is said about Peter believing), we are then told they “went to their homes.” This almost seems like an anticlimax to the Easter narrative.

So now it falls upon a woman to pick up where the men stopped short. Mary now becomes the apostle to the apostles. The very word apostle means, “one who is sent.” She receives the Easter mandate to go and proclaim to the apostles. Her Easter proclamation is to the apostles, two of whom who were with her at the tomb and saw nothing. Now she has to give these apostles, chosen by the Lord, a message from their Lord and we know from the Gospels that they reduced the Easter message to “idle tales.”

The first Easter proclamation was rejected by the very people who should have been proclaiming it. If faith is faltering, you stand in good company. Don’t give up the Lord has plans and your wavering faith is part of his plan.

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Faith

Business as usual? Monday within the Easter Octave – Acts 2:14,22-23/Matthew 28:8-15

Read also  https://www.pottypadre.com/the-words-of-peter-yet-the-voice-of-god/ based on the first reading. 

The Easter narrative in the Gospel of Mark and Matthew are brief; just thirteen and fifteen verses. Compare that to Luke and John, which tell us so much more. The Gospel of today, taken from Matthew’s Gospel, first tells us of the attitude that Easter could have on us. It could bring about belief or disbelief. It then goes on to tell us of the acts that are fuelled by those attitudes; it tells us of two sets of instructions; that of the Lord to the women and then those of the Chief priest to the soldiers.

Jesus encounters the women in their panic and fear. The angel (verse 5) sensing his dramatic entry, tells the women not to fear but obviously even the soft voice of this angel could not stop their hearts from pumping furiously. The Lord, on encountering the women reminds them once again not ‘to be afraid.’ The Easter proclamation is one that gives all those who are afraid, whatever that fear may be, the gift of peace in the storm. So, stop the fear, the Lord is near!

But the encounter with the women was also ‘sudden.’ God does not give notice of his planned visits. He breaks into our lives ‘suddenly;’ perhaps at a parish mission, in moments of prayer or perhaps when we are rushing like the women were. He breaks into our world ‘suddenly’ but also with a ‘greeting.’ Scripture tells us that on encountering the women he greets them. Think about it, the first Easter Greeting was not spoken to commemorate an event, the first Easter Greeting was made by the one who caused the event. I wonder what that first Easter greeting was? Was it just a hello? Was it a good morning? Was it a Praise the Lord or did the Lord say, “Happy Easter?” I think it does not matter what he said, what matters is that we recognise that he was the first one to greet us all on Easter Sunday.

The Lord then gave the women a message and this message comes as a surprise to those who read deeper into this text. The Lord asked the women to ‘go and tell his brothers to go to Galilee, where they will see him.’ This line struck me very powerfully because I recognized in this text the first message of forgiveness after the resurrection. Forgiveness was central to the life of Jesus; so much so that one of his last words on the cross was, “father forgive them.” Now, after the resurrection the first act is one of forgiveness even though he does not say it explicitly.

Let’s put this in perspective. He addresses his disciples as “brothers.” These are the same “brothers” who a page and a day earlier denied him, betrayed him and fled from him. Imagine you and me speaking of those who abandoned us in the moment of our need. I am certain that “brothers” would not be the first words that we might use; a confession would be required to ease the burden of guilt that would result from the greeting we would have for those who betrayed and denied us. Yet, Jesus calls them ‘brothers’, making his first act after the resurrection one of love and forgiveness. Easter calls us to peace but it also calls us to forgiveness.

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Faith

The power of his love – Wednesday, Isaiah 50 :4-9a/ Matthew 26:14-25

Read also https://www.pottypadre.com/judas-second-last-sin/ based on the Gospel of today

Tomorrow, we step in to the Sacred Tridum but for today the first reading presents us with the third Song of the Servant of Yahweh. The fourth and last Song will be read during the liturgy of Good Friday. (We have focused on the first two this week)

The Third Servant Song of Isaiah was written almost six hundred years before the events of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the Passion that followed. But it is almost as if Isaiah, one of Israel’s greatest prophets was standing in Jerusalem, witnessing what happened to Jesus and describing it in his wonderfully poetic language. “The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.”

Jesus is the obedient son the of father. He was obedient unto death on a cross. The same may not be said entirely of us and the same could not be said of the nation of Israel that rejected him. In his pain, he will speak love and forgiveness and Isaiah reminds us of those words which are alluded to Christ, “he has given me a disciples tongue so that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.”

Jesus spoke comfort from the cross, not once but seven times and while some were spoken of himself or to his father, there were words to us that were meant to bring comfort; words to sustain the weary. It is truly a great soul, who even in their suffering can think of the comfort and care of others around. Jesus with his ‘disciples tongue’ teaches even while he hangs on the cross.

The reading of today, anticipating the suffering of Christ on Good Friday, reminds us that Jesus, for our sake, submits to insults and beatings. The Servant makes no resistance to his attackers. He will not meet violence with violence. He does not choose to retaliate for to do so would be to bring himself down to the level of his attackers.

Jesus offers his back for a beating, something given only to criminals. It requires great inner strength not to respond in kind to such provocation. But when it is undergone with dignity, it is the attacker who seems small. It must be made very clear that this is not weakness, but a sign of great inner strength and peace.

We could reflect today on how we respond to criticisms, statements about us we regard as unfair or untrue. Are we prone to a physical or verbal violent response? Even if we do not respond externally, do we allow statements and events to turn us into cauldrons of anger, hatred, anxiety and tension?

As Holy Week unfolds before us, we are called by God to remember, to re-live in the best way we can, the story of Jesus’ Passion, crucifixion and death. We are invited to get into the depths of it all with Jesus; to feel how deep is His emotional pain, even if we can only imagine the breadth of His physical pain. Because we cannot know the power of His sacrifice unless we really know the suffering cost of it.

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