5th Week of Easter 2025 - Tuesday - Christ's Peace in the in-between time

 

Each of the four Gospels relate to us accounts of the Last Supper. In each of the four Gospels, the Lord Jesus gathers to celebrate the Passover meal with his apostles in the upper room.

St. John’s account of the Last Supper, from which we’ll read all this week, differs significantly from the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in several key ways—both in content and in theological emphasis.

All three Synoptic Gospels explicitly describe Jesus instituting the Eucharist with the words, “This is my body… This is my blood…” during the Last Supper.

St. John omits the institution narrative entirely. St. John conveys the Eucharistic teachings of Jesus after the miracle of multiplication, in his Bread of Life discourse, where he teaches “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”

Unique to John’s Gospel is the account of Jesus washing the disciples feet. That act of humble service serves as a profound reminder for us of the meaning of discipleship, love, and Christian leadership.

And four whole chapters of John’s Gospel, from which we read all this week, is the extended Farewell Discourse—where Jesus offers deep theological teaching and prays for his disciples the High Priestly Prayer.

The theologically and mystically profound Farewell Discourse prepares the disciples for the sorrow and scandal of the Crucifixion. 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' Jesus will die and be buried and then come back on the third day.

But these words also refer to the Lord’s Ascension and eventual return, in which Jesus will “go away” from us as he ascends into heaven, but will “come back” again when he returns in the Parousia.

We live in this in between time—in between the Lord’s Ascension and the Lord’s return—and so his instruction to the disciples at the Last Supper is an instruction for us. In this age of the Church, we are to return over and over to the teachings given at the Last Supper, because they are relevant to our current situation.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” when you cannot see Jesus. “The Lord of the World”—the enemy—the anti-Christ—will have some power in this world—the powers of evil and malice will often attempt to obscure the Gospel and the abiding presence of God with his Church. “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. Have faith. Be filled with peace. God has equipped us with what we need for this in between time. We must simply make use of the time and the gifts that we have been given—His teachings, His example, and the gift of His Body and Blood--for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the abiding presence of Christ, let us offer our prayers to God who is faithful in every age.

For Pope Leo, all bishops, priests, and deacons, that through humble service and fidelity to the Gospel, they may model the leadership of Christ who washed the feet of His disciples. Let us pray to the Lord.

For leaders of nations, that they may seek peace, serve the common good, and respect the dignity of all people entrusted to their care. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who have wandered from the Church or grown lukewarm in their faith, that they may rediscover the power of the Eucharist and the love of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those burdened by illness, poverty, fear, anxiety, or uncertainty, that the abiding presence of Christ with the Church and his promises may console and strengthen them with peace. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead, that through the power of Christ’s Resurrection, they may be welcomed into the fullness of joy and eternal life. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, your Son taught us how to abide in your peace. Strengthen us with your grace that we may serve faithfully and live in the hope of His coming. Through Christ our Lord.

7th Week of Easter 2023 - Tuesday - Eternal life consists in knowing the One True God

 For two weeks now, our Gospels readings for weekday mass have been taken from St. John’s account of the Last Supper beginning in John chapter 14. And now we’ve come to the final chapter of that account: John chapter 17. To conclude the last supper, his final evening with his disciples, the Lord offers a prayer. It is a very profound prayer, times called the High Priestly Prayer, in which the Lord does what all priests do, they pray on behalf of others to God, they pray that God's children and God might be one, priests pray that they may be joined to God, that they may share the life of God, that they might know God. 

Always the teacher though, the Lord offers a prayer that teaches, as well. He leads us deep into the truth about his relationship with the Father. He reveals—he teaches, expanding on themes that he has only hinted at in preceding chapters and discourses. 

The Lord prays and teaches at the same time. We had a professor in seminary, Fr. Larry Tosco, our best scripture professor, may he rest in peace who would do the same thing. Seminarians would take notes during his prayer at the beginning of class because of their profundity. 

Prayer to God and learning about God are closely related endeavors. In fact, what does the Lord say in his High Priestly Prayer, “eternal life consists of knowing God”. The Lord uses that word a lot in his prayer, “to know”. The Greek word is ginosko. 

Ginosko is the same word that Mary utters at the annunciation, when she says, how can I be pregnant, for I have not known relations with a man. That word ginosko can mean both knowing an idea or a fact, and also having intimate relationship that is open to new life. 

And the Lord seems to equate those two connotations: heaven, eternal life consists of knowing God, believing in Him, encountering Him as real—the source and foundation of reality in fact—and also knowing Him in intimate relationship. 

And that heavenly relationship can begin in this earthly life—as we are open to God’s revelation of Himself to us—through Christ. To know Christ is to know God is to begin new and eternal life.

May we continually seek to know God, this day, with minds and hearts open to his truth and his life, who is Jesus Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit among all Christians, and for all who are persecuted for the faith. For those who do not believe in God and for those who have fallen away from the Church.

For those priests of the diocese who celebrate their jubilees today with the Bishop, in gratitude for their service, and for continued blessings on their ministry. For the sanctification of all priests and an increase in vocations to the ordained priesthood.

For the sick, the suffering, those in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care, for the underemployed and unemployed, for the imprisoned, those with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, that the Spirit of Consolation may comfort them.

For the deceased members of our families, friends and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all those who fought and died for our freedom.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

4th Week of Easter 2021 - Friday - "Do not let your hearts be troubled"

 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.” Jesus gave these words to us on the night before he died for us and for our salvation. He uttered these words knowing what would happen in the following few hours and on Good Friday: his disciples would see him arrested, mocked, tortured, crucified, and killed.  “Don’t let your hearts be troubled” as you witness these things. 

How could their hearts not be troubled, as they saw their Lord expire and breath his last? How could their hearts not be troubled, knowing that the Jewish authorities conspired to have Jesus arrested and killed? If they could do it to Him, they could do it to them.

And yet, the mere fact that he uttered these words assume that it is in our power to not let our hearts be troubled. To be troubled or not by the horrors of the world is a choice.

Having “untroubled hearts” does not mean we have to be like Pollyanna, ignoring the corruption in the world, or the divisions in the Church, pretending like our suffering isn’t that bad. The Lord isn’t requiring that we view the world through rose-colored glasses. For elsewhere he tells us to be on our guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, to be as cunning as serpents when dealing with opponents of the Gospel; you will be hated by all because of me, he says.

Not naïve optimism, but faith, preserves our hearts from becoming overwhelmed by earthly suffering. “Have faith in me” the Lord teaches. For Faith, orients us to eternity, and helps us see our sufferings from the eternal perspective. Don’t let your hearts be troubled on Good Friday, for Easter Sunday will come, as I promised. Don’t let your hearts be troubled when you are persecuted, for Blessed are those who are persecuted for my sake, for their reward will be great in heaven. Don’t let your hearts be troubled by the fact you will be mocked and misunderstood, when the powers of hell seem poised against you, don’t be afraid, I’m with you.

Faith enabled Paul and Barnabas in our first reading, to embrace the hardship of evangelization: the anxiety of unknown places & unknown peoples, physical dangers, mental exhaustion—all of it is worth it, because when our earthly labors and earthly sufferings are done for God, we will reap eternal reward.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled”. These words of the Lord Jesus are not a suggestion, but a command—for his disciples and for all of us.  We are to view all of our earthly sufferings through the eyes of faith, that this world is but a preparation for the next. We are to have untroubled hearts when we face our own serious illnesses, when we see loved ones pass away, when earthly minded-leaders persecute us, when enemies of the Gospel conspire against us, when we are called upon to spread the Gospel to unknown people in unknown lands for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For Pope Francis and Bishop Malesic, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd and for an increase in vocations to the ordained priesthood, and that our priests may serve the Church with the love and devotion of the Good Shepherd.

For our parish, that we may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ and his tender love for sinners and for the poor.

For members of Christ’s flock who have wandered far from the Church: for the desire and will to return to the Sacraments; for deliverance from all spiritual evils and an increase in virtue for the faithful. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or disease: that they may know the peace and consolation of the Good Shepherd. Let us pray to the Lord.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.

5th Sunday of Easter 2020 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled"

“Do not let your hearts be troubled”. We do well to return to those words, over and over, for if there is anything that we are not really good at, as humans, it’s keeping our hearts from being troubled, when we face danger or uncertainty or change or very strong emotion, like grief or anger. “Do not let your hearts be troubled”, easier said than done.

But, our Lord uttered these words knowing a little something about the human heart, with its frailties and fickleness. After all, he is its author. Knowing our tendency to over think, to be anxious, to lose our cool, to become frightened and discouraged, our Lord commands us still: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

It was on the night before his own death that he spoke these words to his apostles gathered for the Passover meal under some pretty strange circumstances. Jesus had already predicted that he would be killed because of his teachings and preaching of the Gospel. The apostles had already detected Jesus’ enemies conspiring against him. They knew that his mission would have consequences for him and for them, his closest followers. But now he spoke on the very night of his arrest, when he would be dragged before the high priest like the temple lamb being led to its slaughter.

They could no doubt sense something in the air. Perhaps they would be arrested like him, perhaps they would suffer like him, perhaps they would be put to death, as he predicted he would be. “Do not let your hearts be troubled” when you face the unknowable, the unthinkable. Do not let your hearts be trouble as you witness horror, when you see your world collapse, when those seemingly invincible earthly institutions begin to crumble, when security and health and mortality are threatened. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Ever. Custody of the heart is to be kept always.

Not an easy task. When your world begins spiraling out of control, when death takes a loved one, when you lose your job. When it just doesn’t seem like there is anything you can do, there is always at least one thing. There is a choice we can make when we face the great chaos. A choice, an act of the will, a decision.  We can keep our hearts from being troubled. Our Lord wouldn’t have made this command if it were impossible. And all things are possible with God, including this.

What is this trouble, the Lord is talking about? In St. John’s Greek…this word for trouble is the Greek word tarasso, which means physically agitated, disturbing the inner works of a thing by shaking it. When we are experiencing chaos, doesn’t it feel just like that, like our inner world is quaking and shaking apart. Our plans for the future, our understanding of how the world should work begins to fall apart?

The latin translation of this word also is interesting. St. Jerome used the word turbetur, which connotes an angry mob rioting. And the Lord is saying keep your heart from becoming like an angry, irrational mob, smashing what it does not understand. Keep your heart from shaking apart. Keep your heart from disquiet and dread, distress and doubt.

That the Lord assumes that we even have this power within us, is kind of surprising. But he knows we do, because again, he made us.

So how can we keep our hearts from trouble? What does this mean? This choice, this decision it doesn’t mean we ignore our troubles, ignore the chaos or injustice or the divisions in our church or in our families. Ignoring our problems is not the key to peace. Nor, does this mean playing some sort of psychological game of just looking on the bright side of things like naïve Pollyanna, hiding behind some invincible optimism or a pair of rose-colored glasses.

Nor does true inner peace come from imposing control on things outside ourselves. When we feel our life going out of control, sometimes we seek to impose control on others—nagging our family members—or giving in to addictions, things that we feel we can control, at least for a time.
Rather, to keep our hearts from trouble, or Lord says, have faith. Choose to have faith. “You have faith in God, have faith in me.” The Lord said.

Commenting on this passage, Augustine writes “Our Lord consoles His disciples, who, as men, would be naturally alarmed and troubled at the idea of His death, by assuring them of His divinity.” Faith that Jesus Christ is God, Chrysostom writes, “is more powerful than anything that shall come upon you; and can prevail in spite of all difficulties.”

Have faith, engage your faith, live your faith that Jesus is God. No matter what you are going through, put Jesus Christ, True God at the center of it. “For I am convinced,” writes St. Paul, “that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Faith that Jesus is God can conquer demons. This faith can move mountains. It grants us boldness and zeal when called upon to preach, it grants us fortitude when faced with temptation, it grants eternal perspective when faced with earthly ordeals. When you have true faith, when you have made Christ your cornerstone, your life becomes charged and changed by his presence. It grants the conviction that God’s plan is greater, and runs deeper, than our narrow perspectives.

So when you begin to experience any sort of trouble of heart, any temptation, dread or despair, recall that Jesus Christ is God—that He is victor over all sin and evil and death. And then consider what that truth impels you to do. I guarantee it never includes sitting around and worrying or overeating or numbing yourself with drugs or lashing out at a neighbor or conspiring against him.
May we exercise true faith today and all days, faith which keeps our hearts from all trouble, faith which impels us to work for the spread of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

6th Week of Easter 2018 - Tuesday - Convicting the World

The Gospel of John’s account of the Last Supper is quite different from the other Gospels. For one, St. John omits the institution of the Eucharist and includes the washing of the Apostles’ feet.  John’s Last Supper is also a much longer text, spanning several chapters compared to just a few verses in other Gospels. And this is so, principally because it contains what scholars call Jesus’ Farewell Discourse in which Jesus delivers one of the most moving, theologically rich, and mystical passages in the whole New Testament.

Jesus’s Farewell follows the example of the farewell speeches of the great men and women from the Old Testament: people like Jacob, Moses, David, Tobit, Noah, Rebecca, Isaac, and Enoch.
Addressing those who are closest to them, they speak about their impending deaths, and offer comfort in the face of the grief their announcement produces.  They promise how God’s care and God’s saving plan will continue. And they leave instructions on how those left behind should behave.

Jesus’ farewell discourse fits this pattern well: he speaks about his coming crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father. Jesus certainly offers instructions for his disciples, as well: they are to love one another, by following his example of humble self-sacrificial service.

Today we hear how news of Jesus’ going to the Father so fills the disciples hearts that they are rendered speechless. Jesus makes the astonishing claim that it is better that he goes than if he stayed. Because the sending of the Spirit will usher in a brand-new chapter in God’s Saving Plan in which the world will become convicted for the Gospel.

The Spirit Advocate, like a defense attorney, will prove the case for Jesus Christ. He will defend Christ’s claim to be God, to be the Messiah, to be the Savior. This great court case will play out over the remainder of human history, and the evidence with which the Spirit will use to prove the case, is us, the Church.

You want to know Jesus is Lord? Look at what the Spirit has done throughout human history and continues to do. Look at the Saints he has produced. Look at the miracles he has accomplished and continues to accomplish. Look at the Courage He inspires and the consolation he brings to the suffering.

To those with eyes, let them see, the work of the Spirit. May each of us cooperate as well as we can with the Spirit, that others may come to know the evidence of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, working in our life.

May He continue to use us to convict the world that Jesus is Lord, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all bishops, priests, catechists, and parents may be faithful in preaching and teaching the saving Gospel of Christ.
For those who do not believe in God and for those who have fallen away from the Church.
For an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit among all Christians, and for all who are persecuted for the faith.
For the sick, the suffering, those in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care, for the underemployed and unemployed, for the imprisoned, those with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, that the Spirit of Consolation may comfort them.
For the deceased members of our families, friends and parish, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all those who fought and died for our freedom.
O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

Thursday - 5th Week of Easter 2017 - Remaining in Christ's love

St. John’s Gospel is so filled with teachings on Love that it is sometimes even called the Gospel of Love.

Saint John, the patron of our Diocese, was the only one of the twelve faithful apostles who did not suffer martyrdom.  They tried to kill him because of his faith, he was plunged into boiling oil, but he emerged unscathed. So, he was exiled from his home to the island of Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea where he lived to a very old age. There on Patmos, as you might imagine, as last of the twelve apostles, people would flock to him to hear stories of the Master and to hear the Gospel preached.

Every Sunday, the Christians of Patmos, would make pilgrimage to see Saint John and he would celebrate Eucharist for them and preach.  And Sunday after Sunday he always had the same message for them: he would say, “My little children, God loves you.  Now you love Him and love one another.”  Always the same message, Sunday after Sunday: “my little children, God loves you.  Now you love Him and love one another.”

After some time, someone, asked him, “why do you keep repeating the same message, over and over again?” To which St. John replied: “I keep repeating it over and over again because the Master repeated it over and over again. “My little children, God loves you.  Now you love Him and love one another.”

Love is to be at the heart of the Christian life—Jesus tells us to love one another as he loves us. And in the Gospel today, he tells us to remain in his love by following his commandments.Which commandments? Well, all of them. And through the scriptures Jesus issues quite of few of them:

His first command in the Gospel of Matthew is “repent”, turn away from sin and back to God. He commands us to follow him, to rejoice in the things of God, to let the light of faith shine for all to see, to honor God’s law; he commands us to be reconciled with our brothers, to rid our hearts of lust, to go the extra mile in caring for a brother in need, to love, love, love your enemies. He commands us to lay up treasures in heaven and seek first the kingdom of God. He commands us to be baptized, to eat his flesh and drink his blood, to deny yourself take up his cross and follow him.

By keeping his commandments, we remain united to Him and to His Father, we are filled with the Holy Spirit who produces peace, fortitude and joy in us. May we remain in him always, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For ever deeper faithfulness in following the commandments of Christ and for the grace to love those who are difficult to love. We pray to the Lord.
For lasting peace throughout the world: that Christ, the Prince of Peace will put an end to all enmity and division, and unify the peoples of the world.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, and for the 8 men who will be ordained priests for our diocese tomorrow evening in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
That civil leaders will use their authority to protect the dignity of human life and the well-being of the poor, especially the unborn.  We pray to the Lord.
For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation or illness, and that the Lord may grant his gift of peace to those most in need of it.
O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.