Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where (I) am going you know the way." Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:3-4, 6)
PietyWe have heard Saint Paul tell us that all creation is even now "groaning" in expectation of that true freedom which is God's gift to his children (Rom 8:21-22), a freedom which enables us to live in conformity to his will. Today let us pray fervently that the Church in America will be renewed in that same Spirit, and sustained in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel to a world that longs for genuine freedom (cf. Jn 8:32), authentic happiness, and the fulfillment of its deepest aspirations! Pope Benedict XVI, April 17, 2008
StudyLast week, many of our readings were about the journey and the road that we travel. In those passages, we reflected upon how Jesus meets us along the way wherever we are heading or how we meet people to serve along our journey.
Today, another aspect of Jesus’ friendship is revealed. To me this aspect says…Slow down.
By the time you are reading this, your alarm has probably sounded…maybe it was set for 5 a.m. Jumping out of bed, you climbed into the shower, washed, brushed your teeth, and got dressed. Between making some morning coffee and breakfast, maybe you have stopped to read scripture a little now…or perhaps you will do that later. After you fight the morning traffic or crowded Metro, you have made it to work, school, church or some other appointment. Now you are checking your e-mail and reading this.
Slow down. Jesus has made a place for you. He will come back and get you. If you know Jesus, he knows you. So you don’t have to hurry off to
Slow down. You don’t have to go anywhere because the way to God is through Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the object of our piety. He is the truth, the knowledge gained through study. He is the inspiration for a life filled with social action.
Slow down. Stop being such busy “Marthas” and start being contemplative “Marys.” Just as Jesus returned to his friend Lazarus, He will return to us. Just as He returned to the disciples in the upper room, He will return to us.
A witness is worthless if the witness remains silent. In court, that witness not only has to know the truth, the witness needs to come forth and tell the truth to others. So whether the call is for Paul to go to
Look around your immediate world. Who can you witness to? What do you need to do?
One of my favorite lines is from a sign that was hanging in the gathering space at St. Mary of Sorrows on the first weekend that we visited the new parish. The sign read, “Christianity is not a spectator sport.”
Yesterday, from my office window, I had a bird’s eye view of the Papal procession and Pope-mobile as it left the White House around noon. Throngs of people streamed down the street and waited for as long as four hours for a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI. The crowd was also populated with countless uniformed and plainly clothed security guards and many critics of the church who carried signs and shouted into bull-horns to that effect.
The supporter and the fans climbed on shoulders of stronger friends, perched on top of fire hydrants, stood on park benches, and strained their necks from the ground to witness the first papal visit to Washington in 30 years. For their efforts and time, they were rewarded with a five or ten second glimpse of the Pope as he drove down
The crowds then took more than two hours to disburse, many grabbing lunch and singing on the sidewalks to mariachi bands or other accompaniment. Their joy was abundant and evident. And on the one hand, it was uplifting to witness the joy of those happy for their five second glimpse.
However, what would Jesus think of all the pomp and circumstance and the $3 million price tag associated with this visit let along the added expenses born by governments and the
After all, when the crowd disbursed, there are still homeless people sleeping and living in
There are still unemployed hungry and the working poor lining up at food vans disbursed by DC Central Kitchen, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House, SOME and other programs that park along the
There is still a Supreme Court blocks away refusing to block the use of the death penalty and a Catholic governor in Virginia who upholds the law and refuses to act like his conscience and the principles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church asks of all of us.
As the Pope spoke out about the pain of immigration, deportations in our nation have doubled. The Washington Post tells us that “the record number of deportations across the
A few choice words and a short meeting with victims of about the sexual abuse crisis have grabbed all the media headlines. Yet the broader message remains to sink in…
In his homily, Pope Benedict spoke of the need for conversion and unceasing missionary outreach (action).
In every time and place, the Church is called to grow in unity through constant conversion to Christ, whose saving work is proclaimed by the Successors of the Apostles and celebrated in the sacraments. This unity, in turn, gives rise to an unceasing missionary outreach, as the Spirit spurs believers to proclaim "the great works of God" and to invite all people to enter the community of those saved by the blood of Christ and granted new life in his Spirit.
As Pope Benedict XVI departs from our city this morning, let us take this opportunity to renew our commitment to “unceasing missionary outreach” that will, by our three essentials of piety study and action, invite all people to life.
Christianity is not a spectator sport. The parade is over. The work continues.
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