“MY LORD AND MY GOD!”

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “My Lord and My God!”

They are the words of Thomas in today’s gospel. [Cf. John 20:19-31]

As we know from the Gospel of John, Thomas was not there in the Upper Room, that Easter Sunday evening – when Jesus, the Risen Lord, says to his disciples, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And then Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

This day, a week later, Thomas was there and once more Jesus, the Risen Lord, appears, and says to his disciples, “Peace be with you.”

And Jesus asks Thomas to put his finger into the cuts on Jesus’ hand and then to put his hand into Jesus’ side and stop being someone who does not believe.

Thomas takes his finger and then his hand and puts them into Jesus’ cuts and wounds and says, “My Lord and my God!”

And Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

RESULTS FROM THIS STORY

As a result of this very important gospel story that has come down to us, for centuries this Sunday has been called, “Doubting Thomas Sunday” – especially in the Eastern Christian Churches.”

It’s has also been called for centuries Low Sunday and since the year 2000, it has been called Divine Mercy Sunday.

As a result of this story, many old time Catholics were brought up to say, “My Lord and my God!” when the priest lifts the host at Mass after the consecration. I grew up hearing lots of people sort of whispering those words right after the consecration: “My Lord and my God.”

As a result of this story, there was also the legend that Thomas for the rest of his life – had a bloody red hand. It’s one of those legends.

THERE’S A MESSAGE HERE: CUTS AND WOUNDS

The message I’ve been thinking about is this: there is something to the reality that many people come to faith only when there is a gaping wound and cut in their life.

I began reflecting not on Jesus' wounds - but our wounds.

The story of Thomas sort of says, “It’s okay when that happens. However, it would be better, if you had better faith.”

Let's be as honest as Thomas is in today's gospel. His honesty brought him to a profound realization. The Risen Lord Jesus came specifically to him and Thomas said, "My Lord and my God."

Let’s be honest, many people pray – and pray big time – when big time cancer or crush hits them or their family or friends.

Let’s be honest, many people pray – and pray big time – when there is a big time death in their lives.

START WITH SELF
So instead of looking at Jesus’ wounds, let me start with self wounds – especially deep memory hurts. Show those wounds to Jesus.

Does every person have a deep cut – a deep hole in their soul – that hurts – especially when something triggers the memory of that hurt?

About a week ago I was watching the 2000 Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away. It’s a real tear jerker. Tom Hanks, as Chuck Noland, works for Fed Ex. He is in a Fed Ex plane crash in the Pacific Ocean. Everyone is killed except him. He’s cast away on a deserted island for about 4 years. He’s a modern Robinson Crusoe – but there is no Friday. Okay there is an imaginary friend called “Wilson” – named for a Wilson volley ball that was in a Fed Ex package that he opens. Wilson helps. However, the main thing that keeps him going is the hope of being discovered or getting off that island, so he can get back to the girl he loves – Kelly Frears, played by Helen Hunt. All through the movie you see him looking at a picture of her in an old pocket watch that she gave him as a Christmas present just before the Fed Ex plane took off.

He makes it back to the states and she has married his old dentist. That’s the wipe out. He finds out they even had a funeral with a casket for him. He asks the very intriguing question: “What did you put in the casket.”

The movie triggered for me the question: “How many people have that cut in their psyche? Someone they wanted to marry, married someone else – and they felt like they were tossed all alone onto an island for years by themselves.”

How many people have been dumped or ditched by another?

You know that Capital One ad slogan. “What’s in your wallet?”

What’s in our cellar? Closet? Under the bed? In a locked safe in our soul?

William Sloane Coffin [1924-2006] – former chaplain at Yale – was once asked, “What’s it like to be a minister?” He paused and answered the question something like this, “It’s nervous as well as awesome – because people invite you into the secret garden of their soul.”

As priest I know about secrets. As human I know about secrets. You sitting here know about secrets. You know about yourself.

If priests and ministers and all of us know about secrets, how about therapists? Therapists are miners and diggers. Some ask those who come to them for counseling to give them their money history, or their sexual history, or their relationships history. Or some might simply ask another, “Where does it hurt?”

I remember reading somewhere an anecdote about a counselor – who used the group counseling method. In one of his group counseling sessions there was this man who came every month and every month he said nothing. Nothing seemed to be bothering him. Why he was in the group for counseling? I don’t remember.

This intrigued the counselor – who would ask everyone at every session, “How’s it going? Do you have anything to say? Is anything bothering you?”

Usually something would come up and out from every person, but this man – in perfect suit and tie – top button of his shirt buttoned right up the Adam’s apple every time – never said anything till this one day….

Someone in the group mentioned the name of someone named Jack or something like that. At that the man who was quiet and perfect flicked a tiny piece of dandruff off the left arm of his dark blue suit.

Seeing that the therapist suddenly raised his hands and made the “Time out!” signal. Then he blurted, “Time out. Time out.”

Then he said, “Joseph, when so and so mentioned the name of a man named Jack, you went like this.” And he demonstrated flicking a piece of dandruff off his left arm.

And the man said, “Yeah! I can’t stand this boss I used to have whose name was Jack.”

And out poured a tirade laced with vinegar acid anger from 20 years earlier.

And the rest of the group welcomed him into the group after that. He was normal after all.

“Peace be with you.”

Notice in today’s gospel the group is all there – in a room together and the doors were locked – out of fear.

And Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Does every person have a hurt, a resentment, a scream, a cut, a stabbing, a rejection, a firing, an unfair accusation, a cross, a crucifixion, from 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago?

Does every person have a family disappointment – a rejection – a mess – from their parents – or a child – that’s sitting there forever – in their brain – in their upper room – and have they kept that secret or secrets locked in there out of fear for all these years?

Come Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ words about forgiving or retaining sins is very significant.

We apply these words to priests – and the sacrament of reconciliation.

Does anyone apply them to our power to forgive or our power to hold onto sins or being sinned against?

PRAYER

Prayer, grace, counseling, can bring oneself to Jesus – having him break through the walls of our upper room – our locked scull. Prayer can get us to ask Jesus to put his hands into that hurt – that pain – that cut – and heal us. And when this happens, hopefully we say, “My Lord and my God.”

It might be something we did wrong – 2 weeks or 2 years or 20 years ago.

As you know the news these days have been filled with stories about the priest abuse scandal – kids being hurt and cover ups that followed.

The pope, the bishops, the priests, anyone who has abused another, hopefully bring this gospel story to these stories. They have to think not just about the person who did the crime – but about the person who was cut and crucified. That to me was one of the major horrors of the priest abuse scandal: too many times concentrating on the priest – and forgetting the victim.

We’re all aware that the messy side of life is about secrets – especially about sin and the sneaky – about sex and power – about feelings of powerlessness and uselessness – about feelings of being used and abused – and alcohol is often mixed up in the mix.

And often, those in on these secrets, want this stuff kept in closed rooms – and when those in power find out about some of these horrors, sometimes they also make decisions behind closed doors to keep these secrets behind closed doors.

If I hear anything in these stories - now hitting the Vatican and the Church around the world, I hear the call for transparency – and honesty – the need to face realities – to set up an independent board to get all the information that’s available.

In 2002 thought the U.S. Bishops set up a commission who asked the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to do an independent study on all this. It was very freeing. Some of the study was difficult to read. So it was horrible, but it was freeing. Anyone can read the study. If you're reading this, you're on line. Just type into Google, "A Research Study Conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice - U.S. Bishops."

In a way, it's apples and oranges, but we might be the only group in the world who has faced the scrutiny of so many. Other groups: be prepared.

So the Vatican has to do what the bishops of the United States has done and to do it quickly - and the latest message I'm hearing is that they better have women on board.

We have to remember Jesus’ words, "The truth will set people free." [Cf. John 8: 32.]

What are the numbers? I go by the numbers I read in the John Jay Study – than by conjectures by columnists.

Transparency will help those who were hurt. This is what some are crying for. More is needed.
This is the stuff of prayer.

“My Lord and my God.”

Don’t we say just that in the moment of tragedy, whether we see a horror story on TV or in person, “Oh my God” or “My Lord and my God.”

I’m sure most who heard about the plane crash that killed so many in the Polish government yesterday blurted out just that, “My Lord and my God.” or “O my God.”

CONCLUSION

This Sunday is also called, “Divine Mercy Sunday.”

God is a God of mercy.

In this sermon I hope I stressed the need for big time reconciliation - confession of sins - forgiveness - repentence - healing.

But I don't want to limit this just to priests!

As priest it seems strange - or some word like that - when people want confession - confession - confession - for Divine Mercy Sunday. I didn't say this from the pulpit - because people might be confused with my comment - or think here is a priest who is lazy. He doesn't want to hear confessions.

We just finished Lent. We priests heard a million confessions for Lent -and then more - a lot more - in Holy Week in preparation for Easter.

Wonderful.

Easter happens.

Then comes this message of confession for Divine Mercy Sunday.

To me something is off message here.

It seems that some people have made this Sunday more important than Easter Sunday.

People are being told they can get complete forgiveness of their sins and indulgences – if they go to Confession and Communion for Divine Mercy Sunday.

I for one would stress going into the box of self.

I for one would stress prayer and looking into oneself and see if I am at peace – or do I have these inner wounds and cuts – that need to be healed – and to ask Jesus to come into my inner room and breathe on us so that we can “Receive the Holy Spirit” and then we go out of that upper room of feat and forgive and be forgiven?

Am I a person of mercy? Can I forgive others? Can I communicate to them the hurt they might have given me years ago?"

And hopefully the other says, “I’m sorry. Have mercy on me.” And we forgive them.

I remember a lady telling me that her dad said, “I’m sorry” to her just before he died – and her counselor said to her, “Well, la di da, di da. He wants off the hook just like that – after all he did to you.”And she said to the counselor, “It was enough. He finally said he was sorry for all the growing up years of neglect, abuse and alcoholism.”

She then paused and said, “I forgave him and it gave me peace.”

Or it might be something we have done to hurt another. If we can, and if it’s the right thing to do, we can go to the living or the dead and say,” I’m sorry.” However, with the living, this is tricky. Sometimes it’s the right thing to do, but it’s not the right time, and it just might start World War III.

After all, isn’t mercy and forgiveness what it’s all about? Today's gospel story about Thomas puts a human face onto all this. Let us do the same.






Painting on top:"Doubting Thomas" or "Saint Thomas Putting His Finger on Christ's Wound" -1602-03 Carravaggio, [1573-1610]

2  TYPES OF PEOPLE  

Quote of the Day:  April 11, 2010

"The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are made of the same water. It flows down, clear and cool, from the heights of Hermon and the roots of the cedars of Lebanon. The Sea of Galilee makes beauty of it, for the Sea of Galilee has an outlet. It gets to give. It gathers in its riches that it may pour them out again to fertilize the Jordan plain. But the Dead Sea with the same water makes horror. For the Dead Sea has no outlet. It gets to keep."



Harry Emerson Fosdick [1878-1969], The Meaning of Service, 1920
Picture on top: Satellite Picture of Israel. The smaller body of water is the Sea of Galilee. It's in the north. To the south is the larger body of water, the Dead Sea. Off to the west, the left side of the picture, is the Mediterranean Sea.

REQUIESCANT IN PACE

The many returning home from war:
thousands waiting for them
at airports or docks, waiting
with flags, flowers and tears,
bands blaring, hands waving,
politicians, mothers, fathers,
husbands, wives, kids,
waiting for those returning
who soon will be surrounded in hugs ….
Sad to say, miles and miles away,
the all alone, all those whose
waiting ended months and months
ago with the news, “…killed….”
Requiescant in pace.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

Picture on top by Darin Oswald,

The Idaho Statesman

ALONE  AGAIN  

UNFORTUNATELY 

Quote of the Day:  April 10, 2010


"Most people are on the world, not in it - have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them - undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate."


John Muir [1838-1914], John of the Mountains 1938

REMORSE

Quote of the Day:  April 9, 2010

Remorse: "That inward hell!"

Lord Byron [1788-1824]

GOD IS PATIENT

Grace never grabs.
It just waits:
to glance at the glisten of dew on
morning blades of grass,
to notice an old couple holding hands
while waiting for a restaurant table for two,
or a dad holding his baby son
while handing his other hand
to his 3 year old daughter,
the chance to say, “I’m sorry!”,
the remembrance of
the Father’s love back home.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

35 - EMERGENCY ROOM

Sitting there with about 35 other people
in the local hospital emergency room,
I couldn’t hear the TV sound. I could
just see the screen, the screams, the pictures,
just the captions from about 35 feet away:
another suicide bombing in Bagdad,
a flood in Rhode Island,
a train crash in Spain,
a boat capsizes in the Philippines,
a coal mine collapse in China,
a kidnapping in California – people –
their stories – all told in just 35 seconds,
clips of ongoing TV news…. TV cries.
Was my pain – my hurt worse?
Of course not – but it wasn’t till
I began to wonder about all
these people all around me,
some in obvious deep pain and panic,
that I began to enter into their hurt
and my pain numbed a bit.
Who are they? What happened?
Who are the people
they are connected to,
these 35 people or so,
just 35 feet away from me?
Jesus was right!
Hurt is an eye opener.
Hurt is a heart opener.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

PERSONALIZING  LIFE 

Quote of the Day:  April 8,  2010


"A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons."




Desmond Tutu, Address at enthronement as Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, September 7, 1986

BREAKING WORDS,
BREAKING BREAD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Wednesday in Easter Week is, “Breaking Words, Breaking Bread.”

The Mass has two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Bread and words.

Two essentials to every meal: food and words.

Talk to me. Eat with me. Share words; share food. Share yourself.

It’s not good to be alone. It’s not good to eat alone. It’s not good to only be talking to oneself.

However, there are deaths and divorces – and we outlive another.

The beauty of memories; the better the marriage, the better the memories; the better the memories, the more difficult the missing.

And as Viktor Frankl says in his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, in the best marriages, the one who survives and has so much love for his or her spouse says, “I’m glad he or she went first, because I wouldn’t want him or her to feel the hurt and the missing I’m feeling now.”

Frankl could put words together – helping himself and so many others who went through the horror of death – he experiencing the death of so many in the concentration camps of World War II.

And when we eat alone or with others we not only digest food – we digest happenings. And to eat food and words – we cut the words up – slice and dice them – and share them with each other.

That’s the Mass in a nutshell: words and food, part 1 and part 2.

AT THE MEAL

When we were taught Scriptures in the seminary, we were taught that the words in the Bible came from folks sitting around and talking – and eating – sharing bread and wine, sharing words and stories.

Well, not all of scriptures – but much of it.

At every meal at St. Mary’s when Father Baumgartner was alive, he would sit in the same seat – and often tell the same stories – over and over again.

Is that the essence of old age – telling the old stories? And I heard all his stories – but I would notice that even though the essence of the story was the same – the emphasis would shift from time to time – and he would often add on new or different details.

And in listening to his stories, two things were happening. He was figuring out his life and we were figuring out his life - as well as wonderings about our own.

We need to do this. We need an audience. We need to digest each other.

I am totally convinced of the logic of the Eucharist. Jesus feeds us with himself at every Mass – with some words – with some food.

He feeds us with an earful and a mouthful every time.

When we were taught scriptures, we were taught that the scriptures evolved at meals and then someone wrote down the stories.

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s first reading we have a story that was shared in the early church about the time Peter healed a cripple – the beggar who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate in Jerusalem. [Cf. Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10]

In today’s gospel we have the famous Emmaus story – when the two disciples headed home – figuring that’s it – only to meet the Risen Lord who helped put together the whole story for them – and he broke open his life for them – and I hope you heard the key words, “they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.” [Cf. Luke 24:13-35]

I hope you noticed that they used words to tell this to each other.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily was, “Breaking Words, Breaking Bread.”

Digest well Jesus in the word today – Jesus in the bread today. Amen.

Digest well Jesus in your life today – and all the days that led up to this day. Amen.

JUST  SAY "NO!"

Quote of the Day:  April 7, 2010




"My unhappiness was the unhappiness of a person who could not say no."




Dazai Osamu [Tsushima Shuji] (1909-1948), No Longer Human

RELIGION  AND  FAITH

Quote of the Day:  April 6,  2010


"I have treated many hundreds of patients .... Among [those] in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life."


Carl Jung [1875-1961] Time, Feb. 14, 1955

SPIDER WEB

It caught my eye as soon as I saw it,
I couldn’t get by it. I had to stop
and stare? I wondered:
what else am I not seeing?
Do I realize I’m somewhere
on this web being woven -

this web called me. How much

more is there to my life story

before I'm broken, before

I catch what I'm trying to catch?

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

LEAF, PETAL, SKIN

The look and fabric of leaf, petal, skin….
Touch it. Feel it. Study it.
Could a forger or a counterfeiter,
come even close to
creating a perfect imitation
of leaf, petal or skin?
Worse – in time comes the wrinkle,
the fading, and the crumble
of leaf, petal and skin.
Some are scared to touch that?
Be quick! Life has term limits.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

HUMILITY

Moth and butterfly, silently, softly,
fluttering and flying, seeming
to be so completely oblivious of me.
How self centered for me
to think they would think of me?
Silently, slowly, these thoughts
flutter and fly through my brain.
And yes, bees and bugs,
except mosquitoes,
treat me the same way.
Sort of stings my ego.
Dirt and earth, from which
I came, they too pay me
no little attention. So I assume
there’s a message here somewhere.
I guess I need to become quiet
and learn from what’s beneath me.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

A NASTY NOW

Ouch! Now that was nasty.
Now, what do I do?
You set me up.
You weren’t asking me a question.
You were making a statement
under the guise of a question.
You were trying to trap me.
Now, what do I do?
Now, what I have to do,
is not be nasty in return.
Now that’s difficult.
But I’ll try – because
that’s what I now know,
You Jesus, are saying
in your Sermon on the
Mount – chapter 5: 38 to 48:
to turn the other cheek,
to go the extra mile,
to end the revenge,
to pray for those who hurt us.
Difficult Jesus! Difficult!
See you on Good Friday,
better a week after Easter
and then let’s compare notes.

© Andy Costello, Reflections, 2010

Painting - Jesus Faces Pilate, Greg Leach

ALMOST BUT

I almost did it,
but I didn’t.
I almost finished
but I didn’t.
I almost said, “I love you”,
but I didn’t.
I almost forgave you,
but I didn’t.
I almost spoke with God,
but I didn’t.
I almost got caught,
but I didn’t.
I almost won,
but I didn’t.
I almost was happy,
but something went wrong.
I almost bounced back,
but I didn’t.
I almost said what I really think,
but once more I didn’t.
I almost let go,
but I didn’t because it was too difficult.
I almost died,
but I didn’t.
So, I guess,
I have a second chance,
but ....

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

THE PAST

The swirl of poop and paper,
the flush, the downward spiral twist,
the thrust and spin of waste and water –
and then: all clean clear water.

Would that it was always that easy!

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

EASTER SPRING

Spring has a mind of its own:
one day sunny till suddenly
it’s rainy, windy, damp,
then the next day all gray,
then the next day flurries,
then the next day back to sun,
without one word of apology….
Then snow, oh no,
then, oh good, it wasn’t snow,
just a dogwood tree shaking
its tiny white flowers everywhere.
Gardeners on their knees
look up and around
every once and a while,
but most of the time
they know this is how spring
works every year,
not worrying, smiling,
not concentrating on the sky,
but only on the ground below:
spading, planting seeds,
seeing buds and bulbs,
new life ready to spring.
Mary Magdalene didn’t know
gardeners, but she knew
how to hug: Resurrection.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2010

DEATH AND RESURRECTION

Quote of the Day:  April 5,  2010




"Every parting gives a foretaste of death; every coming together again a foretaste of the resurrection."




Arthur Schopenhauer [1788-1860], Studies in Pessimism [1851], Psychological Observations

EASTER:
BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Easter: Belief in Life After Death.”

As I was getting out of my car last Wednesday – in the outside parking lot at the Mall – I noticed a bumper sticker on a parked car right in front of me. I collect bumper sticker sayings that grab me. This one read, “I believe in life before death.”

I went fishing for a piece of paper in my pocket and wrote that down.

I like that message – because I want to live life to the full in the here and now – and I have met people who seem to put too much of their energy and anxieties into worries about what happens after death. It also appears that people do good and avoid evil in the here and now, not because of the here and now – but because of the hereafter. Doing that we might miss the people right in front of us – as well the implications of the present moment.

Thinking on what I preach about – I believe I concentrate on the here and now – more than the hereafter – seeing that religion takes place in church but especially outside of church – where we spend most of our time and life.

I see the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the story of God’s creation not just as something that happened billions and billions of years ago – but God’s ongoing creation all the time. It’s about to spring big time once more and it is good. I see the family struggles in the book of Genesis as the struggles of every family.

I see the second book of the Bible, Exodus, and the story of that escape from slavery as the call of everyone to escape addictions or abuse or traps or blaming or claiming ignorance or covering up – whether one is pope, bishop, priest, parent, professional, truck driver or teacher, etc.

I like to see each meal as a Mass, each shower or washing as a baptism, a fresh start, a feeling of newness, each “I’m sorry” as a sacrament of reconciliation, each affirmation of each other as a confirmation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. etc. etc.

I love the words of St. Irenaeus – an early Christian – killed around the year 200 A.D. – who said “The glory of God is a human being who is fully alive.” [Adversus Haereses – 4th Book]. Every parent knows the truth of that when they see their kids fully alive on the playing field or in a play – or having a great slumber party – or doing a reading at Mass – or hunting for Easter eggs or chocolate Easter eggs, so too our God, our Father, rejoices when seeing us fully alive and searching for the surprise of new life.

Don’t we love it when we see grandparents laughing while playing cards or out on the dance floor – or cracking on each other?

So that bumper sticker is a creed: “I believe in life before death.”

And then like any creed we agree upon, we need to put it into practice – making it more than just words.

Am I alive or am I dead? Am I excited or exhausted? Do I jump out of bed each morning – longing for a new day of life, service and surprise?

Frank Lloyd Wright once described bureaucrats as, “dead at 30 and buried at 60.”

I hope that’s not true – but there are some jobs I know I wouldn’t want – but I’m glad someone’s doing them – and I hope they love their job.

It’s NCAA basketball time – and almost baseball season, but all of us can connect with Erma Bombeck’s famous line, “If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.”

Who of us wants to be described as, “Dead! Dull! Boring! Eternal couch potato? Unalive? Same Old Same Old Person every day?”

Some people sound like they are repeating TV talk shows – and the rest of the people in the room want to run! They want to run because this other person doesn’t seem to be another person – someone we might enjoy a cup of coffee or a cup of tea or a Doctor Pepper with.

Just yesterday a lady told me she was recently at Mass at another church – I’m glad it wasn’t this church – and this little girl yelled out – pointing to the priest, “He doesn’t want to be here!”

Did he hear that? Did the little girl want to there? Do I want to be here – on this planet – enjoying this great gift of life that God has given me?

I picture Jesus standing in front of some people who look like they are dead – and he screams out loud into the cave of their ear what he said at the grave or cave of Lazarus: “Lazarus come forth! Wake up. Come back from the dead!” And Lazarus came back from the dead.

Am I happy to be alive? Do I believe in life before death?

I see people worried about hell, heaven and purgatory. I would stress being aware that heaven, hell, and purgatory, can also be right now.

I like Albert Camus’ bumper sticker like saying, “I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.” The Fall [1956]

Okay, having said all that, I want to address in this homily the hereafter. Relax this is my regular 10 minutes – 5 pages – 14 pica homily. The title of my homily after all is, “Easter: Belief In Life After Death” and here I am yaking mainly about the here and now.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

The last line in today’s gospel intrigued me, “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” [John 20:1-9]

I asked myself, “What does that mean?” “Do I understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead?”

That’s a big question! Many people think: when we die, that’s it. That’s all there is. Nobody has ever risen from the dead!

They it hit me – the depth as well as the centrality of what Paul said about the resurrection in many of his letters - especially his First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 15. To paraphrase Paul: “If Christ did not rise from the dead, then the whole house of cards crumbles. If Christ did not rise from the dead, open up the doors and let’s get out of here. We’re a bunch of fools. If Christ did not rise, then nobody rises. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then there is no meaning to Baptism, not truth to Eucharist, no Christianity, no truth to all these things we believe.”

Yet we do believe. Okay we have doubts at times. Then our prayer changes to the prayer of the man in the gospel who came to Jesus for him to heal his son, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” [Mark 9:24]

And if we read the after Good Friday stories in Matthew, Mark, Luke and today from John, we hear stories about how belief – faith – takes time – and some get there faster than others.

In today’s gospel there is the mention of “the other disciple”. Many consider this to be John – but we’re not sure. It could be us. It could be the one who in any age or any time – gets in next to Jesus – and Jesus sees this one as the Beloved Disciple.

The gospel writers play with this – who’s going to be first, who’s going to # 1 – who’s going to be next to Jesus in the Eternal Wedding Banquet. Won’t we be surprised! But we don’t know. Hopefully, we will know this in eternity.

ETERNITY: LIFE AFTER DEATH

I often think of a moment at my brother’s grave – standing there in prayer with my brother’s best friend – who said he doesn’t believe in life after death. It was one of those life moments that had a profound impact. I’ve often think about it. Do I believe in life after death? I do! I believe in life after death, because of my parents and my upbringing as a Catholic. In contrast, others don’t have this belief. So I pinch myself. Belief is a gift. Belief in life after death is a total gift. It can’t be proved! We have to die to find out.

At the age of 70, I obviously think about this question more than when I was 40.

At the age of 70, I obviously have answers that I have told myself about this question.

The first thing I go with is what is called Pascal’s Wager or Gamble. Blaise Pascal [1623-1662] was a French mathematician, scientist, philosopher and theologian at times. Various folks punch holes in his argument – saying maybe we’ll wake up realizing we picked the wrong religion. I apply the gamble only to God. I’m gambling that the moment after we die, we’ll either know or not know. If there is nothing, then we’ll never know. But if we gambled that there is a God waiting for us after death, then we guessed correctly big time.

So I start with that. What kicks in second – after Pascal – is Jesus.

I make my act of faith in Jesus Christ – in his words of hope, “I am the way, the truth and the life. I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even though he die, will live.”

Then third and last comes the following thought and reasoning – that spins around my brain from time to time – and I found out – around the brain and reasoning of a lot of people.

I call this the “Fair is fair!” conversation with God.

There has to be a resurrection – not only because Jesus died around 33 and was killed unfairly – and didn’t get a chance to round out his life more, but also what about all the babies who have died and never had the time of their life that I have had. What about all those millions and millions of Jews who were killed in the Holocaust – and millions and millions and millions of people who were blown up or killed or raped and murdered – in the violence of war or by crazies down through the centuries. What about all the young men and women killed in war - in combat - or just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Fair is fair. There has to be a hereafter. Fair is fair.

So I tell God there have been a lot of people who deserve eternity – to catch up on missed life – and then there are the crazies who need eternity to get their minds and souls in order.

CONCLUSION

Easter is a good time to think about heavy things. Roll away the big stone and experience these questions with Jesus the Risen Lord. Amen. Alleluia.

Painting on top: The Resurrection [1510] - part of Matthias Grunewald's altarpiece in St. Anthony's Monastery, Isenheim, Alsace

RESURRECTION

Quote of the Day:  April 4,  2010  - Easter Sunday

"The entire character of a man's whole life depends on whether he answers 'Yes' or 'No' to the historic fact of the Resurrection."


John E. Large, The Small Needle of Doctor Large, 1962

Picture on top: Resurrection. It's on the front wall in St. Paul de Meythet Church in Meythet, a suburb of Annecy, south-eastern France. Painting 1998 - by Arcabas (Jean-Marie Pirot).

TRUTH WILL  

SET  YOU FREE 

Quote of the Day: April 3, 2010  Holy Saturday 




"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again."





William Cullen Bryant [1794-1878], The Battlefield [1839], stanza 9


Picture on top - part of the famine ship sculpture at the National Famine Memorial, County Mayo, Ireland, in sight of Croag Patrick.

GOOD FRIDAY

Quote for Good Friday - April 2, 2010

"We call this Friday good."


T.S. Eliot [ 1888-1965], East 



Coker [1940], II
Painting on top - Duccio di Buoninsegna c. 1255-1310, Crucifixion Scene from the Maesta Altarpiece, Museo dell' opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy

HOLY THURSDAY:
IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

Pat and Mike – late 40’s – every Thursday evening – volunteering at the Catholic Shelter on the Bowery – New York City, Manhattan – from 5:30 till 10:30 P.M. They have been doing this for the past four and a half years.

They would walk up from Wall Street where both worked for different firms – same kind of work – paper – lots of paper. And it was supposed to be a digital paperless world.

They would meet outside Pat’s office building and walk up together the mile plus walk – their exercise for the day – chatting as they walked about their day, their families, this and that. Then they would serve at the shelter – help feed Bowery guys – all men – and then get on the subway near Broadway and head home at 9:30 P.M.

Their wives thought it was great to know their husbands were making this sacrifice. It was real. It was not talk. It helped folks. Their wives thought this was part of the Catholic faith they hoped their kids would pick up by example – knowing their dads were volunteering to help the homeless.

That Thursday – it was Holy Thursday – both said as they walked – “Too bad we’re at the Catholic Shelter tonight. We’re missing the Holy Thursday Services back in our churches in Brooklyn.”

Two blocks away from the shelter they saw him – in an alley – laying there – sort of shivering in the cold – in a T-shirt – and the weather was a bit chilly that late afternoon in New York City.

They stopped and then headed for the guy in a dirty T-shirt, sneakers, and tan stained pants.

“Buddy are you hungry?”

“Starving,” came a muted moan.

“Okay, come with us.” They helped the guy up and it was like a Marx Brothers comedy. In fact Pat and Mike started to laugh as they had him in the middle – with his arms draped over each of the their shoulders and they sort of carried him the next two blocks to the shelter.

Shower. The guy really needed a shower. Wooh! The Phew!

They got him in the front door of the shelter. It was semi-packed with all kinds of guys their age, younger, and some older – many in need of a shave – some playing cards – some playing pool – some sitting all alone – on the five couches scattered around the room. Guys who don’t know guys don’t crowd couches.

The other volunteers were all busy getting ready for supper in the back section of the first floor of the shelter. The fold up tables were all set up. Pat and Mike would usually be the ones to place paper plates, paper napkins, Styrofoam cups and plastic silverware on the big long rectangular tables. 3 guys in aprons were cooking and stirring big pots. One yelled, “It’s spaghetti night, Pat and Mike. Don’t you wish you were Italian?”

Mike said, “We got ourselves a starving customer here – but first we’ll get him to his bed and a good shower.”

Three guys sitting there started clapping. They had got a whiff of the man they had brought in and could tell his tan pants needed to be discarded as soon as possible.

They found out the man’s name was Jack – just Jack – and that was enough for a passport into the shelter for the night.

Pat and Mike – with much difficulty – got Jack up to the third floor – using the stairs. There was no elevator.

They brought Jack to his bed and said, “Sit down here for a moment.”

Then Pat and Mike headed for a closet and got him donated underwear, socks, shoes, and a suit.

Then they brought him to a shower and Jack went for it. In fact, you could hear him say a few times from the other side of the curtain, “Good…. Good…. Good! I needed this.”

The water and the soap and the shower rehumanized Jack.

He came back to the bed in his towel and Pat and Mike turned away so he could get dressed.

When they turned around he was sitting on the edge of the bed in pants, a fresh shirt, a tie, and a suit jacket. No socks yet.

Pat bent down and dried Jack’s feet with a clean towel. Then he put socks on Jack. Mike had taken his sneakers and got a size match with a decent pair of donated shoes. Then he bent down and put shoes on Jack.

Jack looked good.

Pat said, “We dumped all your clothes in the garbage over there. They’re history. Now let’s get something to eat.” Before dumping the tan pants, Pat had checked the pockets. Nothing. Not even a dirty handkerchief. The man had nothing but a name and now a new suit.

They helped Jack down the stairs – but he moved much better than on the way up.

Downstairs once again they introduced Jack to some of the regulars – and one or two shook his hand, “Nice suit. Jack. Nice suit.”

This got the first real smile out of Jack so far.

Then Pat and Mike helped prepare the tables for supper and then brought out the bread and water and butter and parmesan cheese.

The chef yelled – ringing a big bell, “Supper’s ready!”

All the men moved or shuffled towards the 53 available seats. That was the count that night.

Some of the men knew to pause – for a prayer. About a dozen guys watched. They had not been here before or were out of it.

Dinner went from 7 till 8 P.M.

Pat and Mike – in aprons and smiles – as well as 6 other guys served lots of spaghetti – lots of bread – lots of comments.

This was important to these volunteers. You could tell it made them feel worthwhile. Even though they had stressful work all day, Thursday evenings at the shelter was their best work of the week.

From time to time Pat and Mike would stop to interact with Jack – making sure he was okay – as well as chatting with a few of the other regulars.

More than half took seconds. For some – probably Jack as well – this might have been their only meal of the day. Others knew of soup kitchens in the area as well.

At 8 guys drifted back to the card tables, a TV set that had a basketball game on, or the pool table. Some drifted upstairs to their beds.

Pat and Mike and the rest of the crew were cleaned up by 9 PM and they would sit and chat and kid with the guys till it was time to get home themselves.

They noticed Jack had slipped upstairs on his own – so they went up at 9:20 to say good-bye and good night – and surprise – Jack was in bed crying – with a rosary in his hands. He told them one of the other men had given him a rosary. They shook his hand and said, “We got to get home to our families.”

Jack said, “Thanks guys. Thanks!” Then he added, “I hope my family back in Denver are okay tonight.”

Pat and Mike said, “We do too.”

And they headed downstairs – said goodbye to two of the staff who were there for the night – and headed for the subway and home.

As they were sitting in the subway car, Pat said to Mike, “Did it hit you?”

“Hit what?”

“Did it hit you that we really didn’t miss the Holy Thursday Mass tonight? We had everything but the wine.”

“Missed it?” said Mike, “Holy Thursday. We were there.

Painting on top: The Washing of the Feet by Chislaine Howard 1953, Methodist Collection of Modern Christian Art

PLAYING  THE  FOOL

Quote of the Day:  April 1,  2010 - April Fool's Day


"When we play the fool, how wide
The theatre expands! beside,
How long the audience sits before us!
How many prompters! what a chorus!"



William Savage Landor [1775-1864], Plays, [1864], st. 2

THAT  WON'T  FLY 

Quote of the Day:  March 31,  2010


"Man won't fly for a thousand years."


Wilbur Wright, 1901

DEAD  OR  ALIVE?

Quote of the Day: March 30,  2010  

"How do they know?"

A reaction when President Calvin Coolidge died in 1933. The comment can be found in Malcolm Cowley's, Writers at Work, 1st Series (1958), page. 65

Photo of President Calvin Coolidge - born 1872 - died 1933