4th Week of Lent 2023 - Wednesday - Miracles and Teachings

 

Throughout Lent we read often from St. John’s Gospel. And unlike the other Gospels that are filled with stories of the many miracles Jesus performed, John records only seven. Now, St. John knew that the Lord performed many more miracles than he recorded. In fact, the very last verse of John’s Gospel attests to this: St. John writes, “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.”

So, in John there are seven miracles. Why seven? It’s a pretty good number. A divine number. It’s the number of the days of creation, and isn’t that what Jesus was here to do, to begin something new. In fact, just like the first day of creation involved water, Jesus’ first miracle narrated by St. John is the turning of water into wine. And then John tells us of the miraculous Healing of the Royal Official’s son, which we would have heard on Monday, had it not been for the feast of St. Joseph, then another healing involving water, the healing of the blind man at the pool of Bethesda. The fourth miracle is the feeding of the 5000, then another miracle having to do with water, Jesus walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee. Sixth is the healing of the man born blind, which we heard last Sunday, and lastly, the raising of Lazarus, which we’ll hear this Sunday.

Often following the miracles in John’s Gospel, the Lord gives a length teaching. He gets peoples attention with the miraculous sign, now, then he teaches. He clarifies who he is and the mission he is about: He is the Son of God, he is here to do His Father’s work.  

These teachings, also deepen the antagonism between Jesus and his persecutors.  Especially as we get closer to Holy Week, the more he shows his goodness and divinity, the more the Word preaches the Truth, the more the world conspires to silence Him. 

The lengthy teaching we hear today follows the third miracle, the miracle of the healing at Bethesda. St. John reports this growing antagonism: The Lord says "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work." For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.”  

Christians are invited to take the opposite approach. During Lent, as we read this stories, we are to draw near to him. We are to lay our heads on his breast, like John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple, to remain close to the sound of his voice.  Jesus reveals the Father. Jesus is God and leads us into deeper experience of God, who is full of mercy, compassion, self-sacrifice, and love. 

These lengthy teachings are packed full of truth and spiritual insight. We do well to meditate upon them in the quiet of our rooms. To go to our inner room, to shut the door, and meditate upon them in secret. Slowly, thoughtfully, prayerfully. And who knows, if we stick around to listen to his teachings, we might be around to see him perform another miracle, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

December 31 2019 - The Last Gospel

Prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican council, mass would conclude with a reading from the prologue of Saint John’s Gospel , as we heard just proclaimed: “In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum...”, it was called the Last Gospel because it was part of the concluding rite of the Mass.  Well, it is the last Gospel of the year for us on this last day of the year 2019. 

The Last Gospel calls our attention to the beginning, the Eternal Word who was with God before time began and at the beginning of the world, through Him the world was made. The Last Gospel calls our attention to the beginning of our salvation, the birth of the Eternal Word made flesh. He who is beyond the comprehension of man becomes man to enlighten and save us.

Three hundred sixty-five days this year the Word sought to enter into our humanity, into our lives, that His light and His glory might be manifest in us, that the invisible might be made visible through us.

I think the last day of the year is always a reflective day, because it urges us to consider, did I allow the Eternal Word to become flesh in my life or not? How did I keep his light from shining, his glory from emanating.

2020 will begin, tomorrow, liturgically with the Feast of Mary, Mother of God in whose womb, the Word made his first humble dwelling.  We turn to her motherly intercession, that she may accompany us, and nurture us as we might become like her.

On this last day of 2019, we thank God for all he has achieved in us, and anticipate with open hearts what he still desires to achieve through us, with us, and in us this upcoming year. May we be more attentive and responsive to the needs of those around us.  And may we resolve this new year to be, like Mary, more open, more obedient, more humble to the Word of God for His glory and the salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

For the conversion of all those who have turned their hearts from Christ, for those who have fallen into serious sin, for a strengthening of all of the faithful in virtue. And That God may bring the faithless to believe in His Son and increase the faith of those struggling to believe.

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For the safety of all those celebrating the New Year this evening, safety from physical harm and preservation from sin.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

4th Week of Lent 2018 - Tuesday - Water, Water, Everywhere

Of the seven miracles in the Gospel of John, three have to do with water. Jesus changes water into wine at Cana, Jesus heals the crippled man at the water of Siloam, and Jesus walks on the water of the Sea of Galilee.

Water is a prominent motif in the Gospel of John. Just like in Genesis 1, in which we hear of the waters of creation, in John 1, we hear of the Baptist baptizing with the waters of repentance. Water, in the very first lines of this Gospel, marks a new beginning of a life sorrowful for sin.

In Chapter 2, Water is changed by Jesus, at the wedding of Cana, to become wine that gladdens the hearts of the wedding guests. And in Chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that his followers must be born again of water and the spirit.

In Chapter 4, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman. He says, “everyone who drinks the water of this well will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

In Chapter 5, there is the water of the pool of siloam. But this water seems to be ineffective at healing: true healing comes from Jesus. And in Chapter 6, Jesus walks on the water, showing his absolute authority over all the waters of creation.

Just as an abundance of water pours forth from the Temple, in Ezekiel’s vision today, and just as our Psalm speaks of the “stream” of water “whose runlets gladden the city of God”, John describes the  blood and water flowing from the side of Christ. This is the water of baptism, this is the water of Christ which continually gladdens the hearts of those in union with Him. Upon glimpsing the resurrected Christ on the sea shore, Peter jumps from his old fishing boat, right into the sea, to joyfully approach the Lord.

In less than three weeks, hundreds of thousands of catechumens around the world will be baptized in water at the Easter. And a billion Catholics will renew their baptismal promises and be sprinkled with fresh baptismal water.

When we encounter the Lord in the Sacraments, in prayer, and in our works of mercy, we partake of the life-giving, soul-saving, cleansing, freeing, healing water of His own divine life.

May our Lenten observances help us to truly yearn for these waters, that we may partake deeply of them, and to be nourished and transformed by them, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

December 27 2017 - St. John, Apostle and Evangelist - Patron of the Diocese of Cleveland

St. John the Apostle is often depicted in art with his head resting on the breast of Christ, as he does at the Last Supper. Among the apostles, it was John alone who remained at Christ’s side at the crucifixion. John, in a sense, is among the first-born of the apostles, along with Peter, James, the Lord’s inner-circle. So how fitting it is to celebrate the apostle’s feast in such proximity to the Lord’s birthday, which John described in his Gospel, as the Word becoming flesh.

St. Ireneaus, bishop of Lyons around the year 200, reported with assurance: “John, the disciple of the Lord, who rested on the heart of Jesus, wrote a Gospel when he was in Ephesus.” Ireneaus, of course, was a disciple of St. Polycarp, who died around 156, and who was made bishop of Smyrna by St. John himself. Remaining so close to the Lord, it is no wonder that his Gospel is among the most mystical, filled with the most intense insight into the divine identity of the Lord.

In the Gospel for today’s feast, we read John’s own account of the morning of that first Easter. Upon hearing the news of the empty tomb, John sprints ahead of St. Peter to reach the Lord’s resting place. Was it his youthfulness or his intense love of the Lord which allowed him to reach the tomb first? Probably a little bit of both. Peter was likely weighed down by the guilt of having denied the Lord, during the Passion, while John had remained faithful. John, in his humility, though, shows deference to the Prince of the Apostles, by allowing Peter to enter the tomb first.

His humility may be a bit surprising, as elsewhere in the Gospel, John shows a thunderous temperament, wanting to call fire down from heaven on a group of unwelcoming Samaritans. Jesus, in fact, calls John, and his brother James, the sons of thunder.

We know, though, that the thunderous temperament of John was indeed tempered into a pure and zealous love of the Lord. After the resurrection, John preached the Gospel fearlessly, he was arrested, tortured, and exiled to the island of Patmos, from which he wrote his three new testament epistles, and continued to shepherd the Church with great pastoral care.

After his death, the bishop Polycrates testified that John’s body was returned to Ephesus, where he was once bishop and caretaker of the blessed Virgin Mary.

St. John is the patron of the diocese of Cleveland, and he is a powerful example to all of us: of zealous love for the Lord, temper under control, mystical prayer, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, tireless pastor, who used his intellectual gifts to combat the errors plaguing his flock and bestowing to the Church of all ages, a portrait of piercing insight of the Lord Jesus. May we know continuously the example and heavenly intercession of so great a patron saint for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

For the Church of Cleveland under the patronage of St. John, apostle and evangelist, and particularly for Bishop Nelson Perez, that together we may witness faithfully and tirelessly to the truth of the Gospel

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord