Into the third week of Easter, we begin to see a kind of pattern emerging which is THE pattern of our lives as Christians...life, death and resurrection. It is the pattern of the life of Christ obviously. It is also the pattern of his followers.
In the liturgy today we hear proclaimed the story of Stephen professing faith in the Father who sent the Son with confidence and he pays with his life for such a proclamation. he also asks for forgiveness for those who kill him. Sound familiar? The pattern is established as the Church's first martyr follows the Lord all the way to death and beyond.
Watching in the wings is another who will be drawn into the same pattern of life death and resurrection- Saul of Tarsus who will become The Apostle- Paul.
And so, the first generations of Christians begin to follow and imitate the Lord Jesus. And new life comes from their fidelity. Had they refused the pattern, we would not be calling ourselves Christians today. We are their inheritors. We have life because they gave theirs. What will we do with ours?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Lord's descent into hell
"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.
‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."
A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday
http://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010414_omelia-sabato-santo_en.html
"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.
‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."
A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday
http://www.vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010414_omelia-sabato-santo_en.html
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Palm Sunday and Worldly Power
A few years back in the mass for Christ the King, a lector at our parish proclaimed not that Jesus was "robed in majesty", but "robbed of majesty". Though she got the words in the reading wrong, the sense was right on.
We celebrate the same kind of confusing mystery on Palm Sunday. Jesus enters "triumphant" into the city where he will be humiliated and defeated, on his way to ascend to his "throne", the cross on Calvary.
In the last several days, we've seen lots of images of the most powerful political figures in the world gathered at the G20 Summit. Lots pf posturing and promising was made about how each was going to lead and how together they would solve the world's problems. We pray that some of it might come true.
But on this Palm Sunday we are reminded that, in the end, the only real victory and power comes not by way of strong militaries, high apporval ratings or treasuries flush with cash, but rather only by way of love. Indeed, this way of love necessarily runs right through the via crucis. None of those G20 leaders or their entourages have in their sights anything like the scene from Calvary, but with the eyes of Christian faith we know that that's the only way to true victory, to true power, to life.
Let's ask the Lord as we enter into another Holy Week, that the pattern of his victory on the cross might be lived out in our own world, in our own lives and in our own hearts. Let's not fear being "robbed" of majesty, but instead be "robed" in what is truly noble in the eyes of the heavenly kingdom.
We celebrate the same kind of confusing mystery on Palm Sunday. Jesus enters "triumphant" into the city where he will be humiliated and defeated, on his way to ascend to his "throne", the cross on Calvary.
In the last several days, we've seen lots of images of the most powerful political figures in the world gathered at the G20 Summit. Lots pf posturing and promising was made about how each was going to lead and how together they would solve the world's problems. We pray that some of it might come true.
But on this Palm Sunday we are reminded that, in the end, the only real victory and power comes not by way of strong militaries, high apporval ratings or treasuries flush with cash, but rather only by way of love. Indeed, this way of love necessarily runs right through the via crucis. None of those G20 leaders or their entourages have in their sights anything like the scene from Calvary, but with the eyes of Christian faith we know that that's the only way to true victory, to true power, to life.
Let's ask the Lord as we enter into another Holy Week, that the pattern of his victory on the cross might be lived out in our own world, in our own lives and in our own hearts. Let's not fear being "robbed" of majesty, but instead be "robed" in what is truly noble in the eyes of the heavenly kingdom.
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