Mass Prep Sunday June 2nd 2019 7th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Sunday June 2nd 2019 7th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Dinner with Saul *

The tie in between today’s readings: Are you in the faith?

Psalm 97:1-9, Acts 7:55-60, Revelation 22:12-20 John 17:20-26

SETTING: Saul’s mother’s house in Jerusalem. He has dinner with her this day every week following his fasting ritual. She is getting worried. It’s after dark and he’s never been this late before. Saul enters with a self satisfied look on his face.

Mom:     “Oh! You’re home late, Saul. Sit down; dinner’s getting cold. So how was your day?”

Saul:      “Such a day you wouldn’t believe. It started out normal. Prayers at the Temple with my                mentor, Gamaliel. Gave alms and another offering after my fast. Then such a commotion like I never heard.”

Mom:      “A commotion?”

Saul:       “Yes, at the Synagogue of the Freedman...you know those foreign Jews. We heard some men arguing about how the veil guarding the Holy of Holies could have ever been split? A big shouting match, you would think the whole world needed to know, and in the middle of it all was that apostate, Stephen. He joined that new ‘The Way’ cult. It’s what those fishermen and that tax collector who started it call themselves.”

Mom:      “Stephen? Isn’t he the one who helps feed the widows in the city? I heard he even      healed cousin Miriam’s friend who almost died from a fever.”

Saul:        “Really, my dear? It was more likely the chicken soup.”

Mom:       “How did such a nice boy get mixed up in such a ruckus?”

Saul:        “Nice boy?! He probably started it with all that slander his people are saying about the high priest and the crucifixion of that blasphemer, Jesus! You know that his people even accuse our most revered and trusted elders of having the Romans kill that pretender! Our Sanhedrin! Jehovah’s rulers! Can you believe it? That Jesus had his trial just like his boy Stephen did!”

Mom:        “A trial? I have to sit down! Over an argument? What happened?”

Saul:         “Yes, a trial and about time, too! These Lamb of God zealots are full of contempt for our Temple, Moses, and our Law. They have to answer for it. Praise God we Pharisees are here to defend the faith of our fathers! And after today, you know, I’ve never been prouder to be a Jew. Our whole community: the elders, teachers of the law, and the good people of our city dragged that Nazarene lover before the Sanhedrin and gave testimony about your nice boy’s blasphemies.”

Mom:      “Oy! I never would have believed it!”

Saul:      “Believe it! And then out of his own mouth he accuses the entire Sanhedrin of being the sons of prophet killers, lawbreakers, and murderers of the Messiah!”

Mom:      “What happened then?”

Saul:       “What else? He was plainly guilty. We dragged him outside the city and stoned him!”

Mom:      “Stoned him!”

Saul:       “Yes, of course, stoned him. It had to be done. Such an honor they gave me that I should watch their coats as they carried out the Lord’s justice. You should have seen him, dying with that deceiver Jesus’ words on his lips that Jehovah should forgive us. FORGIVE US! Pathetic! I hope he’s with him right now. Good riddance!”

Mom:       “It sounds so horrible.”

Saul:        “Horrible, yes, it was horrible...gloriously horrible. Sometimes you have to do the terrible to preserve the beautiful. The Temple, the Law of Moses, our heritage in Abraham, our traditions, these things are beautiful. Every fiber in me will fight to keep them from being destroyed by that carpenter’s corruption!”

Mom:        “Calm down, Saul!”

Saul:         “Calm? How can I be calm when there’s more of them every day? No! No more! I swear that I’ll devote the rest of my life to crushing out this heresy.”

Mom:       “Where are you going?”

Saul:        “To the High Priest. We have to get organized. First, we’ll purge Jerusalem of these swine. Once that’s done, I hear there is a cell of them forming in Damascus. I’ll head there next. There’s no way, ‘The Way’ is getting away and if I don’t hear the name of Jesus again I’ll die a happy man!”

 

Google Images

     We know that everything changed for Saul on that road to Damascus where Jesus in His glory knocked Saul off his horse and asked, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Our Lord’s question shows His intimacy with His body, the Church as described in our gospel reading John 17:20-26. It also shows that no one is beyond the grace of God and the reach of Jesus to turn an enemy like Saul into Paul, one of the greatest Apostle and son of God every recorded. So, let us keep praying for our loved ones, who as of yet do not know Christ as their Savior and Lord. Don’t lose heart. At the same time, we need to look deep an examine ourselves to make sure that we truly are in the faith and not deluded like Saul (2 Peter 1:10-11, 2 Corinthians 13:5). There is a lot riding on it.

     Our last two readings: Psalm 97: 1-7 and in Revelation 22:12-20 bring the consequences of being on the wrong side of the Jesus question to light. Both refer to the judgment of God on the wicked, even the morally religious wicked, trying to earn their way to heaven. So the important thing is not whether you think that you are on God side like Saul, but whether you are in Christ like Paul. I’ll finish by letting the Apostle tell you in his own words in Philippians 3:1:14.

Philippians 3 New International Version (NIV)

No Confidence in the Flesh

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

●     Not historically accurate

Mass Prep Sunday May 26th 6th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Sunday May 26th 2019 6th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Reaching Out

The tie in between today’s readings: Keeping unity

Psalm 67, Acts 15:1-2;22-29, Revelation 21:10-14;22-23, John 14:23-29

     It all started out so great with a guy and a gal in a garden. Then, everything went to hell in a hand basket. Starting with eating the forbidden fruit and paradise lost, which lead to murder and evil, then more and more evil, until finally, the whole earth had to be wiped clean with a flood in a divine restart. The Tower of Babel rebellion pushed God to fragment the human race by language and send them to the four winds. What’s a heavenly Father supposed to do with a bunch of kids that won’t listen? You pick a favorite. It could have been anybody, but God chose to work through Abram (Abraham) to begin His process to bless His human family and bring it back to Him (Gen 12:3,18:18, 22:18). By the time of the Psalms and King David, the plan was well under way. Psalm 67 looks forward to God completing His salvage operation where the nations come back together to praise the Almighty and live under His guidance. The trick is once you gather them, how are you going to overcome sin’s separating influence and keep everyone together?

     Jesus is the lynchpin of the whole strategy. During the Last Supper portion of our gospel reading in John 14, He lays out a blueprint for the church to stay unified as they bring the world back to the Father through the gospel. It’s a unity that springs from a personal relationship with the Trinity.

          First, Jesus says, love Me and keep My commandments (John 14: 23). This is not a legalistic list of rules of do’s and don’ts to follow. That would be coercion, not love. Love makes its own rules.  Reread it as: Fall in love with Me, as I am already in love with you, then you will want to be like Me...Please Me...Follow Me. Jesus is aiming at freedom here. It’s the cause and effect relationship captured by Augustine, “Love God and do whatever you want.” If each person in the Church determines to love the Lord with all their heart, then they will be choosing to live for God. When people live for a common purpose bigger than themselves; unity follows.

          Second, God will live in you with an infinite abiding presence (John 14:23). Your body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Through prayer and scripture He will help you learn all that you’ll need to know and recall it at the right time. All believers receive a common celestial GPS that will give guidance into the Father’s will. God’s mind will develop in you. Philippians 2:5-8 says that this will lead to humility and the unity of the church will be its fruit.  

          Third, you will have peace (John 14:27). You will have a special peace with God through Jesus. You will know peace and forgiveness within yourself. It is the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding and guards your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). It’s a courageous peace that allows the vulnerability you’ll need to forgive others as well as giving the strength to face the uncertainty of that necessary reconciliation. In the peace of Christ, we can all hold hands.

 

Google Images

Tying love to obedience, abiding with guidance, and peace with courage, the Apostles will be ready to spread the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all men, as will all of us. God’s family, the Church, will reach the ends of the earth. His children have everything they need to hold the family together if they let themselves be led by their Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

     It was never going to be an easy endeavor. There were a lot of foundational questions to be sorted out as Jews and Gentiles with their clashing cultural and religious backgrounds try to meld together into this new belief called “The Way” (Christianity). An early point of contention pops up in Acts 15:1-2 with the Judaizers. They held that since salvation was from a Jewish Messiah, the Gentiles needed to convert to Judaism by circumcision first before becoming Christian. Paul and Barnabas passionately disagreed. Because this issue was so vital, the Church met at Jerusalem for a council. They concluded that the Gentiles believed and received the Holy Spirit just as they did. Circumcision was not needed. The Old Testament was still God’s eternal word, however, and so the Gentiles were to abstain from pagan practices such as: things sacrificed to idols, drinking blood, eating things strangled, and fornication (Leviticus 17 & 18). Here’s our John 14:23-29 reading in action, where obedience to Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit led to a peaceful outcome...for a time.

     From Pentecost to now and until the Second Coming, it has and will always be a challenge for our family to “be of one mind” as people join her from varied backgrounds, points of view, and visions for the Church. We know that sparks will fly! Let’s keep John 14 at the forefront of our thinking and hold it together when things get hot because we, the Church are loved by God. Not only loved, but Revelation 21 illustrates her glory built upon these principles. If you are out of fellowship with God or other believers, know this: the Father wants you back. He wants to have a gloriously intimate relationship with you. He wants you for everyone's sake to seek forgiveness and for you to also forgive others seven times seventy. Togetherness and harmony are near and dear to the heart of Jesus. His Spirit calls to you. Come back. Be part of the Father’s plan.

Mass Prep Sunday May 19th 2019 5th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Sunday May 19th 2019   5th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Agape

The tie in between today’s readings: The Glory of Love

Psalm 145:8-13,Acts 14:21-27, Revelation 21:1-5, John 13:31-35

     If I had to explain glory, I would say it is the possession of something that’s worthwhile. Glory comes in many forms. We can see it in beauty. We find it in a person’s noble character. We celebrate it in top athletics or great achievements in fields of endeavor. In this world, we recognize glory with awards, crowns, and power. We are so enamored with glory we will pay scads of money for a famous artifact or stop and beg to be able to take a selfie with a star. Love in a way, is a connection to glory. Be it looks, likes, or loot, we join to another because we see something valuable in them. It is even more so with the love we have for our children because, in them, we see ourselves. That’s why it’s so hard to love the unfortunate of face or function among us...no glory. So glory attracts love; human love that is. Who do you love when you are God and your glory fills the universe? There’s no one that impresses you and there’s nothing you need. Where does your love and glory plug in? Apparently, when you’re God, you do the totally unheard of thing and love the unlovely. You love your enemies, even a fallen mankind. It’s a special love only the Almighty has. It’s called agape love and God offers it to us.

     In today’s gospel reading, John 12:31-35, it’s the Last Supper and Jesus is starting the final push in operation, “For God So Loved the World”. He talks about the Son and the Father glorifying each other by His crucifixion. Then He bewilders the disciples even more when out of the blue He throws a “new” commandment at them: “Love one another as I have loved you.” The command to love your neighbor is not new (Leviticus 19:18). What makes it new is how we are to love: as Jesus loves. It’s a new application of the glory-love connection. We are to love the unlovable as God in Jesus loves us. When we become born again, God fills us with His Holy Spirit of love just as a hand fills a glove. The glove is the covering. The strength is in the hand. This new commandment is a genuine manifestation of God’s love through our lives, not a man’s weak compliance to a divine directive as in the Old Testament. God in us can show His love through us and people around us will glorify God by us. Let your light shine before men so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). In God’s case, then love generates glory. This agape love from another dimension is beyond new. It’s revolutionary! It can be ours by faith in Christ.

 

Google Images

     Where does this new agape love take you? Well, if you’re Paul and Barnabas in Act 14:21-27, it takes you to cities along the eastern Mediterranean Sea to spread the gospel. What do you get for this agape love? Tribulations! Hardly sounds fair, but that’s what loving your enemies is all about isn’t it? Paul told it straight to the newly formed churches in Asia Minor: ”Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). You have to see tribulations as the fire that tempers the steel of your character. By it, you grow the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life and become more like Jesus. Love made Jesus take up His cross. Let us not neglect ours, because looking forward in faith, we can see that after the cross there is glory.

     Psalm 145 and Revelation 21, our last two readings, show us the love-glory dynamic. Psalm 145 starts with God’s love toward us by acknowledging His grace, mercy goodness, and loving kindness. We accept God’s love proposal and take Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In doing that, we take the new nature of God in our lives. We love as Jesus loves and endure the trials that the church, the bride of Christ, must face. We can do this because in Revelation 21 God wipes away every tear, ends death, stops crying, banishes pain, and turns mourning into gladness. We become inhabitants of the eternal new heaven and new earth. Where we, as the sons of God, will shine like the stars forever (Daniel 12:3). That’s glory my friend.

Mass Prep Sunday May 12th 2019 4th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

Sunday May 12th 2019 4th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

The Shepherding Lamb

The tie in between today’s readings: No sheepish sheep

Psalm 100:1-3;5, Acts 13:14;43-52, Revelation 7:9;14-17, John 10:27-30

     Every church goer is familiar with the wonderfully comforting idea of the Lord being their shepherd. Who doesn’t love the image of us sheep grazing on a beautiful hillside lying down in green pastures, drinking from still waters? Our Lord, Jesus watches over us and tends to the whole flock. All the while, He is caring for each of us individually as well, even to the point of leaving the ninety and nine in order to retrieve the lost one. He reassures us with the promise in John 10 that no one could ever snatch us away from Him or the Father. We feel peace and security from a loving God who laid His life down for His sheep. But you can’t graze the hillside forever, No! Our Good Shepherd also sends us through the dark valleys, where we are sheep among wolves. We go because there are others of His/our fold to reach. Let’s look at our reading in Acts 13, for example.

     Paul and Barnabas are in Pisidian Antioch (not Syrian Antioch in Acts 11). It’s their second Sabbath at the synagogue. Like the Blues Brothers, they were on a mission from God to get the band back together, only this band was the whole Jewish and Gentile world! Not two weeks there and almost the whole city came out this day to hear them. Things were going good for the gospel messengers...too good. They aroused the ire and jealousy of the synagogue shepherds: the hirelings, thieves and robbers that were afraid of losing their flock. Our faithful witnesses could handle the heckling and contradictions, but when the Jews ramped it up to blasphemy, Paul and Barnabas cut it off. With a strong rebuke, they left the synagogue and focused their message to the Gentiles. Those among them that were appointed to eternal life, that is the true sheep of the Lord’s flock, believed and were saved. In the days to follow, the gospel spread throughout the whole region. Enough! Using their political muscle the Jews persecuted and expelled Paul and Barnabas! The brothers moved on, but not before establishing Pisidian Antioch as the first fully Gentile Christian church. They went to Iconium, where they were driven out again and then to Lystra where they almost died. In spite of hardships, they kept on going to other cities.  Apparently, there was nothing sheepish about these missionary sheep.

Google Images

     Let’s not forget, one of the reasons for maintaining a flock is the killing of the animals. We serve His purposes. The sheep, if needs be, will be slaughtered. We’ve seen martyrdom throughout history and even more in our world today. The blood of the martyrs is still the seed of the church. In our reading in Revelation 7, multitudes that were killed in the great tribulation stand and worship before the throne of Jesus, the Lamb who shed His blood for them. This scene in heaven loops back where we started today, only better. Jesus, our shepherd is on His throne forever. We will never hunger or thirst again, and God, Himself, will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Will you be ready to die for Christ if the time comes? It’s hard to say, isn’t it? We believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We pray that God will give us the strength for that hour. The thing is, would we dare die for our shepherd at that time, if we are reluctant to live for Him now?  Maybe we need to examine ourselves at this point first.

     Our reading in Psalm 100 ends everything on a high note.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2  Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

    and his courts with praise;

    give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

     You can be one of the sheep of his pasture. Receive Jesus as the Lamb of God who can take away your sins and be your Savior. He has left the other ninety-nine. He is looking for you and calling to you. Answer Him. He accepts everyone into the fold who comes to Him. No one will be chased out. No one will be lost. Be in that number when we enter his gates with thanksgiving as the saints goes marching in.