ST. ANNE'S NOVENA, St. Dominic's Church, San Francisco, Day 5, July 22, 2010

THE FEAST OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE

We continue our reflection on what it means to become the family of Jesus. The Church call us today to celebrate one of the original members of our family. Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene.

We actually know very little about St. Mary Magdalene from the scriptural witness. There is a great deal of legendary and traditional material about her but the Scriptures say almost nothing about her. This is complicated by the historical conflation of St. Mary Magdalene with other women in the Bible. Sometimes she is conflated with women who have no names, such as the woman caught in adultery, or the sinful woman who interrupted Jesus is dinner and going to see. This is further complicated by the sixth century defamation of her character that has been perpetuated in virtually every form of popular culture, Art, literature and cinema since the sixth century. St. Mary Magdalene is first called a prostitute five centuries after she lived. There is no evidence of this tradition before the 6^th century and since 1969 the church has officially shied away from such references to this important woman. But I would give anything to see a movie or book about the life of Jesus that presented Mary Magdalene as anything other than a prostitute.

So DO we know? What does the Bible say about St. Mary Magdalene? She appears in all four Gospels but in three of those Gospels her name is never mentioned until the passion narrative. In the passion narrative she is the only person who was present for all three the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus.

In Luke's Gospel alone is she mentioned outside the Passion narrative, and then only in a passing reference. But we learn quite a bit about her from this passing reference. In chapter 8 of Luke's Gospel we are told that as Jesus went about his preaching ministry, proclaiming the kingdom of God, he was accompanied by his disciples and by a group of women. Among those women, three are named: Susannah, Joanna, and Mary Magdalene - to which Luke add that seven demons had been cast out of Mary Magdalene. Luke also says that these women supported Jesus' ministry out of their resources (for this reason, we should remember her, perhaps, as the patron saint of benefactors of preaching ministries.

Because of Mary Magdalene's faithfulness to the end of Jesus' ministry - again, while most of Jesus' male disciples were hiding for fear, Mary Magdalene accompanied him all the way to the cross and was present at his death. For this faithfulness, she was rewarded by Jesus as the first person to see him after the resurrection. In all four Gospels, the resurrected Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene before he appears to any of the other disciple. More importantly, it is Mary Magdalene that is entrusted with the message [“good news,” “gospel”] of the resurrection and given the responsibility to take that message to the other disciples. Because she is the first one in trusted with the preaching of the resurrection, she has been called the apostle to the apostles and is one of the primary patrons of the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans.

So what does the life of Mary Magdalene have to teach us about what it means to be the family of Jesus? First, from Mary Magdalene we learn that every encounter with Jesus Christ is supposed to transform our live. The implication of Mary Magdalene having had seven demons cast out is that the encounter with Jesus changed her life. How have we allowed our encounter with Jesus in the Scriptures, in the Eucharist, in our Christian brothers and sisters to transform our lives?

Second like Mary Magdalene we are called to allow the deep love for Jesus that we have because we have been transformed by him to compel us to faithfulness

And finally like Mary Magdalene, once we believe that we have seen the resurrected Christ we are called to tell others what we believe. We are entrusted with the message and cannot keep it to ourselves. The message of the Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ must burn from within us and others must be told that we believe.

On this Feast Day, let us pray for the grace to have our live transformed by every encounter with Jesus, let us pray to have a love that leads us to great faithfulness, and let us ask God to give us the heart of an apostle, willing to preach the good news to those to whom we are sent. Amen?

ST. ANNE NOVENA, St. Dominic's San Francisco, CA - Day 4, July 21, 2010

We continue our reflection on what it means to become the family of Jesus. Today our Scriptures offer us a reflection on the place of the word of God in the life of the Family of Jesus.

St. Dominic, the patron of this church was said to have spoken in his lifetime only to or about God. it's a beautiful reflection on his life as a man of the Word. We are called to imitate this, but we cannot speak about God, if we do not know God. The rich source of growing in our knowledge and love of God is the Word of God, the Bible.

In recent Catholic history there has been an uneasy balance between the relative places of Word and Sacrament in Catholic life. One of the criticisms of the reformers at the time of the Reformation was that Catholics were so focused on sacrament, on ritual, on doing and that we didn't place enough emphasis on knowing God through his Word. That has been a caricature of Catholic life for the last 500 years. Catholics are focused on Sacraments and ritual; Protestants are the ones who are focused on the Word.

The second Vatican Council sought to restore a proper balance in Catholic life between liturgy and the word. We see this reflected in the liturgy itself with up with and emphasis after the Council in a balance between the Liturgy of the Word, where we are nourished by the word of God, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, where we are nourished by the body and blood of Christ. We are reminded that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. A spiritual life focused entirely on the Eucharist and the other sacraments is a rich spiritual life, but, absent the Word of God, we are not getting a recommended daily allowance of spiritual nourishment. If we do not know the Scriptures we will not grow we will not mature in faith.

We need to be like the rich soil in the parable in today's Gospel - rich soil that receives the Word of God allows it to take root in our lives and our hearts and bears fruit in the world. So I'd like to offer these reflections about the word of God and it's place in the family of Jesus.

First, as I said before, the Word of God is a source of spiritual nourishment. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” St. Jerome, who first translated the Scriptures into a language that could be read by the masses, said “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” As Catholics we understand that God put himself in the Scriptures we experience the presence of God when we read the Scriptures. Saint Paul told Timothy “…All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.^”2 Tim 3:16-17 (NAB)

The Letter to the Hebrews speaks of the Word as food for maturity: “…you have become sluggish in hearing. Although you should be teachers by this time, you need to have someone teach you again the basic elements of the utterances of God. You need milk, (and) not solid food. Everyone who lives on milk lacks experience of the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties are trained by practice to discern good and evil.” Heb 5:11-14 (NAB)

Second, as Catholics we understand the Bible, the Scriptures as our common story; it is the story of the church - it tells where we have come from, it gives us direction for where we are going. We must read it with the church, so that we come to a deeper understanding of ourselves as the family of Jesus.

Third we must read and know the Scriptures because in our world the Bible is constantly misused, misquoted and misunderstood.

Sometimes this is innocent - people just simply don't know the Bible and they'll say something like the Bible says "the Lord helps those who help themselves." No it doesn't; but that sounds vaguely biblical, so people think it's in the Bible. Or people say the Bible says "money is the root of all evil." No, the Bible says "the love of money is the root of all evil." That's very different. These are relatively innocent misquotings of Scripture.

But other times the misquoting of Scripture is used in nefarious ways to manipulate people and to make people believe false doctrines. If we do not know the Scriptures we cannot defend ourselves against such misquoting.

And finally knowledge of the Scriptures strengthened us against the enemies and evil in the world. The letters to the Hebrews tells us that the “…the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. Heb 4:12 (NAB)

And St. Paul tells the Christians at Ephesus that the Bible is a weapon to be used in spiritual warfare, warfare against real evil in the world...

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph 6:10-17 (NAB)

Like the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading, we need to answer the call of the Lord to spread his word in the world. We need to allow him to write it on our times and in our hearts. He has called us from our mother's womb to speak his word to those who need to hear it. But we will not be able to speak his word to others if we have not become rooted in that word ourselves.

So brothers and sisters, I want to encourage you to go home and find your Bible; blow the dust off the cover, and open it up and began reading it. And become that good soil wherein the word of God can take root and began to bear fruit in your life and the life of the world. Amen?

ST. ANNE NOVENA, St. Dominic's San Francisco, CA - Day 3, July 20, 2010

We continue our reflection on what it means to become the family of Jesus. You might imagine that it was from today’s Gospel – Jesus’ commentary on who his family is – that the theme of my preaching for the Novena emerged.

I was born into the Hutcherson Family 48 years ago. And of course I am still part of the family and love that family. But I have made choices in my adult life that have shaped who I regard as my family. First I became Catholic – as the only Catholic in my family, I feel much more in common with other Catholics than I do with my own blood family. I moved to the West Coast to work for the Church and then entered the Dominican Order where I even identify other members by familial titles – brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers… Because of these choices, I have not been with my blood family for Christmas for more than 25 years. Sometimes people lament that for me, but I would find it very odd to spend Christmas with my blood relatives who do not share my Catholic faith and the uniquely Catholic perspective on what Christmas means. I spend Christmas with the family I have chosen.

Most of you were baptized into the Catholicism as infants and may even have a sense of having been “born Catholic”. Be that as it may, each of us must, at some conscious life, must make a choice to live our faith. We are continually confronted with the opportunity for conversion – the opportunity to choose to live as members of the Family of Jesus.

It is to this reality that Jesus points in today’s Gospel when he is told that his mother and brothers are asking for him. He gestures to his disciples and says “these are my mother, and brothers, and sisters – these who choose to do the will of my Father…” Jesus invites us to choose to be members of his family.

If we are to choose by living the will of Jesus’ Father, it is important that we become more deeply acquainted with his Father. Our Old Testament reading today is a great place to start to learn more about one of the defining characteristics of the Father that makes it possible for us become his family.

The idea that “God is Love” is an entirely New Testament concept. If we are to find and understand the Love of God in ancient Hebrew understanding, we locate it in other words – In the OT, God is not called “loving” – he is called “merciful.” In God’s mercy, we find his patience, his forgiveness, his sympathy, his kindness, his pity. It is this undeserved expression of compassion by which the father draws his undeserving creation into a familial relationship. Like the Father of the Prodigal son, our divine Father waits patiently for us to turn to him, but once we have turned to him, he does not wait for us to crawl to him, he runs to us and, as the Gospel says, “throws himself on our neck.’ - The most aggressive of all embraces – God aggressively draws us to himself in compassion and mercy.

As Catholics, we have beautiful access to this mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation. As a confessor, I love to hear confessions because in that moment I have no other job but to be the sign of God’s love and mercy. I get to remind penitents that they are, by God’s grace and mercy, members of the Family of the Lord.

But we are also reminded that as part of the family of the Lord, we are called to grow in the image and likeness of the Father. So as we experience the mercy of God that draws us more deeply into his family, we are also called to grow in mercy – called to become more merciful people. It is one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the Merciful, mercy will be shown them…” As members of the family of he Lord, we are called to be merciful to each other – to be patient with each other’s weaknesses, to forgive those who wrong us.

We are called to be humble and honest in our judgments of other, to recognize, even as we so clearly see each other’s faults in the Church, that we are every bit as much in need of God’s mercy as everyone around us. I have often said that one of the best expressions of Church that I know is AA and other 12-step programs. When one goes to AA, one knows that every other person is just another drunk who recognizes their need for help. The Church should be the same way, but all too often we want people to believe that we go to church because we are so good. We are better off when we can look around the room in frank admission that each of us is a sinner in deep need of God’s mercy. That mercy becomes more real and draws us more deeply in the Lord’s family and helps us to grow in being more merciful as well.

ST. ANNE NOVENA, St. Dominic's San Francisco, CA - Day 2, July 19, 2010

We continue our reflection on what it means to grow deeper as the family of Jesus.

This has been a summer of reunions for me. I attended three reunions, all in June: my 30 year high school class reunion. A family reunion. And the Assembly of all the friars of the Western Dominican Province. These three reunions have two things in common – we gather to share stories and to share food.

The stories are important because they are our common heritage. At the family reunion – we remebre when cousin so and so did such and such. We laugh at the foible of uncle so and so. Or can you belive that HE married HER…

At our class reunion we laugh at our ridiculous behavior as teenagers, we fondly rekindle relationships, and we mourn the loss of those no longer with us. Our stories are what make us the class of 1980.

At the Dominican assembly, we gathered in class groups or with those with whom we went through formation and remember our time at St. Albert’s. Remember when Fr. So and so did such and such. Laughter abounds as we remember. Tears as we recall.

The stories bind us together and give us a common history.

The other element common to such reunions and gatherings is food. At my family reunion everybody puts their best foot forward. Fried chicken, BBQ, green beans, good southern fare. Family recipes come out and everybody tries to imitate our late grandmother’s great cooking.

At my class reunion good Gulf Coast seafood. We consumed so much out of fear that we will not be getting any more any time soon.

At reunions, the stories are told over good food and good drink. We celebrate with eating, and the eating has memories all its own.

The same thing happens every time we gather for Mass. We gather in the liturgy of the Word to share our stories – In today’s Gospel, Jesus invokes two of our family stories. The mere mention of Jonah and the Queen of Sheba are enough to recall vivid stories from our heritage. You know the stories about Jonah – your memory can fill in the details of the story of Jonah – the reluctant prophet, the fleeing to the sea, being thrown overboard, three days in the belly of the fish, the successful preaching in Ninevah.

Same with the Queen of Sheba – she’s less known, but, again, her name invokes a story from our heritage – her connection to the wisdom of Solomon.

Jesus invokes these two stories to remind us that people outside our heritage – non-Jews – who heard the word of God, who heard our stories, responded in faithfulness. He tells us that we have a much greater purveyor of the family story in Jesus that either Nineveh or the Queen of Sheba did Jonah and Solomon – we have a greater than Solomon, a greater than Jonah in Jesus himself. Because of that, because we have a more complete telling of the story, we will be held to a higher standard of faithfulness than even Nineveh and the Queen of the South.

And just like at a family reunion, we gather not just to share our story, we gather to share our family food. Jesus, the great sign, the great story, gives himself to us as food, we experience the food as an important part of the story – We have the greatest sign of all signs in the meal we share at this altar.

When we gather at family reunions, as great as the stories are to help us with our family identity, there is something even more basic to us than the story that draws us together as family – here I am talking about DNA – the very bloods and genes flowing through our veins. When I gathered with my family this summer, I went out for an evening with two cousins – there was no mistaking us as family; one might have even assumed we were brothers and sisters – the read hair, the ginger complexion, the loud mouths. That’s DNA.

Well there is a DNA in Jesus’ family as well – that which draws us together as family of Jesus. We read about it in the Prophet Micah today: “You have been told what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah offers the most basic expression of what it means to be part of the Family of the Lord. He is critical of religious practice that is not backed up by internal conversion. Such external expressions are not pleasing to God – sacrifices, pilgrimages, festivals – unless they are accompanied by an internal commitment to justice. To love goodness, to choose right and to walk humbly with God. This is our DNA, the genetic marker that indicates that we are the family of Jesus.

ST. ANNE NOVENA, St. Dominic's San Francisco, CA - Day 1, July 18, 2010

I was delighted when I was invited to preach the St. Anne Novena. First because it is always a joy to be at St. Dominic’s in San Francisco and second because I live in Tucson, AZ and will do almost anything to get out of there in July.

As I reflected on the relationship between St. Anne and Jesus (she is his grandmother) and the readings given by the Church for these 9 days, a theme began to emerge in my preparation: that of Family. And I have chosen “Becoming the family of Jesus” as the theme for these days. Over the course of the Novena I will be inviting us to reflect on some of the qualities and characteristics of Jesus’ family, and ways that we become more authentically and deeply part of that family. I was delighted that readings of the first day called us to a reflection on hospitality. I have grown to believe that hospitality is one of the primary virtues of the Christian life and one that we often neglect . So I’d like to invite us for a few minutes to reflect on hospitality as a virtue that we are called to live in imitation of Jesus and as members of his family.

We see in our fist reading today one of the origins of the Christian understanding of hospitality. Abraham sits outside his tent near the Terebinth of Mamre and offers hospitality to desert travelers. For the desert dwelling nomadic cultures of the ancient near east there is a remarkable custom of hospitality rooted in the precariousness of life in the desert. Every traveler in the desert lives balanced on the edge of danger and desert nomads help each other to survive in that dangerous setting.

I was blessed to experience the 20th Century version of this last summer traveling in Jordan. We had rented a car that gave us nothing but trouble from day one. After the first breakdown, I was looking for a tribe of Bedouins to trade the Toyota for a camel. Both times tha we broke down we were aided by Jordanians who could not do enough to help us. They saw us as their responsibility and our safety and care were their chief concern – putting their lives on hold to make sure that all of our needs were met.

Abraham offers hospitality to these travelers who turn our to be messengers of God in the midst of doing God’s work.

What was custom prior to Israel was codified as a principle of Justice in the Law of Moses – no longer rooted in the precariousness of life in the desert, but rather in the collective memory of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt. “Because you were shown hospitality in Egypt at a time of great need in your history,” God will say to Israel,” you too must show great care for the foreigner, the alien, the stranger in your land.” In fact, in Israel’s history, this will become one of the primary obligations of JUSTICE for God’s people and one of the measures of righteousness – how well do you care for widows, orphans, and strangers in the land.

What was custom in the Ancient Near East and law in Israel, makes its way into Christianity as a religious obligation as well. But for Christians, it is no longer simply custom or law, but it is part of the most basic obligation of the Christian life; to love as Jesus loves. In a list of the basic virtues of Christianity, Hebrews 13 begins “Let mutual love continue, do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” (a direct reference to today’s first reading)

In the ancient world, the demand of hospitality highlighted and perpetuated the differences in peoples – I treat you well precisely BECAUSE you are other. Christians believe that the work of Jesus obliterates all those differences which keep us separated and divided from one another.

St. Paul says to the Ephesians:

“remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone"

So the obligation of hospitality becomes no longer about difference, it becomes a matter of loving one’s neighbor.

Every Christian is obliged to the virtue of hospitality because we await the return of the Lord. We know that every encounter is pregnant with the possibility of encountering the returning Lord. Abraham had so often encountered the Lord in his life and travels that he had no chosen but to expect to see the Lord again. The rule of St. Benedict says that every guest at the monastery is to be treated as though they are Christ himself…” That is not just true for Benedictines. It is true for all of us who wait expectantly for the Lord’s return.

We offer hospitality knowing that we will receive a blessing in return. Just as Abraham and Sarah were blessed for their hospitality with the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son.

Martha and Mary are blessed by their hospitality to Jesus. Both are lead to a deeper understanding of who they are and how they can best serve. Martha – busy about the details of hospitality – we all know Martha’s – you know, St. Martha Stewart, busy with all the details. Thank God for them. As a pastor, I certainly thank God for all the Marthas in my life – can you imagine a Church full of Marys – God would be loved and praised, but nothing would get done!

The next time we encounter Martha – at the end of John’s Gospel and the raising of lazarus, Martha has not changed at all – she is still the one taking care of the household. Her encounter with Jesus has lead her to a deeper commitment to who she is and how she can serve.

Mary, too, is lead to a deeper place. She, contrary to what might be expected of a womsn in her time, she has chosen the palce of a disciple – sitting at the feet of the master learning from him. Jesus affirms her in this. And the next time we encounter Mary, she is the disciple who anoints the feet of Jesus in preparation for his burial.

Like Martha and mary, the experience of hospitality is to lead us to deep er understanding of ourselves. As members of the Lord’s family, our hospitality has pe3rsonal implications – how we welcome and treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. It has communal implications – how we welcome newcomers and treat each other in the context of our parishes and other Christian association. It has civic and national implications – how we treat the stranger the alien who crosses our borders (I live in Arizona whre we have a great reputation in this regard – maybe not).

Hospitality is an obligation of our faith and a defining characteristic of members of the family of the Lord

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and APOSTOLIC church: Homily from the 6th Sunday of Easter

In these weeks after Easter, the Church gives us these readings from the Acts of the Apostles and from Jesus’ last discourse in John’s Gospel. What we see in these combined readings is an image of the Church from two different perspectives – from the intention of Jesus who promises to send the Holy Spirit to enliven the Church, and from the perspective of those who are experiencing the effects of the Holy Spirit poured out as life breath for the Church. By offering these perspectives, we are offered the opportunity to reflect on the nature of the Church and our relationship to it. Not only do we see an historical view of the Church, but we are called to reflect on the Church today – this weekly gathering of the local Church – yes – but more importantly, our relationship to those who do or who have professed belief in the Church throughout the last 2 millennia.

And we do profess our belief in the Church every time we gather for Sunday Mass – we say we believe in “oneholycatholicand apostolicchurch…” and we say it just like that – as though it was all one word. But do we ever stop to think about the four assertions we make about the Church when we profess our faith in the Nicene Creed? We believe in ONE Church that is HOLY, CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC. I think we don’t often think about those four things – why do I say that? Because twice in the thirteen years that I have been a priest, two different popes have issued strong teachings about the oneness of the Church and Catholics all over the world have been shocked and dismayed to hear it. “What do you mean there is only one church? That sounds awfully exclusive and can’t possibly be true!?” BUT WE PROFESS EVERY SUNDAY THAT WE BELIEVE IN ONE CHURCH!!!!

These four adjectives are called the “four marks of the Church” in traditional theology – each makes a very important assertion about the nature of the Church. The Oneness and Holiness of the Church are rooted in the oneness and holiness of the head of the Church, Jesus. Even in today’s Gospel we hear that if we love Jesus, we will keep his commandments and the father will come to us and make his dwelling with us. The oneness of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit is attested to throughout the Last Discourse and our invitation to be one in the interior life of the Trinity shows us the oneness to which we are called as believers. Jesus’ faithfulness to his Father’s mission, his willingness to die for our salvation, and his complete obedience to the will of the Father, teach us of the holiness of the Church.

The Catholic nature of the Church is attested to from the very beginning of the Acts of the Apostles where we see the Spirit of God manifested in the preaching of St. Peter, who though he speaks in Aramaic, is understood by men and women from all over the known world in their own languages. The small group of Jewish Apostles begins to take to message to gentiles and win converts among the nations. Even in today’s Gospel, we see the disciples grappling with growing pains by seeking to solve a doctrinal issue that arises in the early years of the Church because Gentiles are converting. We see the Church growing from a Jewish body to a more universal or Catholic body – illustrating the Catholic nature of the Church from the beginning.

It is that fourth mark of the Church “Apostolic” which most of us have never given much thought to. What are we professing when we say that we believe the Church is “Apostolic” – obviously we are saying something about our connection to those earliest followers of Jesus, who were so connected to their having been sent by Jesus to preach the Gospel that they became identified in the earliest days as “sent ones”.” That is what an “apostle” is – one that is sent. So when we profess that we believe in the Apostolic Church, are we saying that we believe that the Church continues to be a community of “sent ones?” Yes perhaps.

But our profession to belief in the Apostolic nature of the Church is really a statement of our belief in the historical nature of the Church. It is, frankly, why I am Catholic. As a young history student studying the history of Western Civilization, I became convinced of the truth and importance of the Church’s claim to an unbroken line of succession between the current leaders of the Church and the Apostles. It is a demonstrable fact and an ancient teaching of the Church called the Apostolic Succession. This tangible link to the Apostles demands that we know the importance of these first followers of Jesus. It is the Apostolic nature of the Church that is addressed beautifully in today’s first two readings.

In John’s vision from Patmos we are told that after the final battle of good and evil, God will “make all things new.” There will be a “new heaven and a new earth” the center of which will be the “New Jerusalem.” It is described beautifully in today’s second reading. There will be 12 gates on which are inscribed the names of the 12 tribes – the New Jerusalem will represent the completion of the “Israel of God.” But all of it will be built on foundation of “12 courses of stone on which are written the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb…” the new Jerusalem and the Church are ikons (images) of each other – the Church is the foretaste of the New Jerusalem; the New Jerusalem is the completion of the Church. And all of it is built on the foundation of the lives, teachings, and blood of the Apostles. Jesus had told Peter that he was the rock on which he would build his Church, ad here the vision f John is that all the apostles form that foundation. This is what we profess when we say that we believe in an Apostolic Church.
in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see those first followers of Jesus n their role as teaching authority under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 15 of Acts is an exciting text from which we learn much about the nature of the early Church . We are told that the first major conflict in the Church arose because some Jewish Christians told Syrian Gentile converts that they must be circumcised (aside: this question would have a huge impact on whether or not adult males were going to be a part of the Church ;) This is not a simple disciplinary issue. It cuts directly to the question of how we are saved, it is a soteriological question – a doctrinal conflict. The leaders of the Syrian Church submitted this question to the Apostles for their consideration and their authoritative teaching. Our text today does not include the deliberation of the Apostles and Presbyters – it is worth reading sometime – but does include the teaching letter sent by the Apostles to the Syrians. Note that in that letter, the Apostles do not simply speak for themselves. It does not say simply “it is our decision…” Rather, they say “it is the decision OF THE HOLY SPIRIT…” Understand - at this moment there is NO BIBLE. The only scriptures the early Church has are the Hebrew Scriptures which clearly will not answer this question. They must depend entirely on the work of the Holy Spirit and the sound teachings of their brothers in whom the Holy Spirit is at work in a remarkable way. They don’t consult just any believer, they consult the “Apostles and Presbyters” in whom the Holy Spirit is at work. And their word is, literally, Gospel – not because of them, but because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in these men so that the ONE Church can speak with ONE voice, the ONE truth of Jesus Christ.

When we profess our belief in the Apostolic Church, we profess our belief in that teaching authority; that in the Holy Spirit we continue to have access to the authentic teachings of the Apostolic Fathers, those original followers of Jesus; that we continue to be connected through an unbroken line of leaders to the Apostles, and therefore, to Jesus himself.

But this doctrine is more than a pedigree or a quaint family history. It has importance to us as believers in the Apostolic nature of the Church today:

The Apostolic Nature of the Church speaks to the antiquity of the hierarchical nature of the Church. That from the beginning, certain of our leaders were set aside for particular ministry among their brethren and given extraordinary authority under the direction of the Holy Spirit to teach in the name of Jesus. Without such, we would not have the Christian Scriptures – a product of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church. As such, those leaders are called upon to speak, not only in their own name, but in the name of the Spirit himself.

The Apostolic Mark of the Church speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church – continuing as Jesus said, to teach and to remind us of all that he said. The Holy Spirit, working in our leaders, continues guarantee the authenticity of Church teaching and to protect the Church from doctrinal error (this is the doctrine of infallibility).

The Apostolic Nature of the Church gives us a time-proven Holy Spirit-guaranteed method for dealing with doctrinal conflicts that arise in the Church today. We still have an appeal to Apostolic Authority to resolve conflicts that arise. The Holy Spirit continues to be active in the life of Christians and our leaders. Over the course of the Centuries new understandings of doctrines have developed – the chief consideration in testing such developments of doctrine is whether or not they can be squared with the earliest teachings of the Church – those of the Apostles.

The Apostolic nature of the Church should create trust in the lives of every Christian in the teaching authority of the Church. It should help us to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church – to understand where they come from, how they have developed and the role of the Spirit in the continuing teaching ministry of the Church. The Apostolic Nature of the Church should help us to understand how the Church continues to be One, Holy, and Catholic.

But how are we to understand this in the context of scandals – when the scandalous behavior of our leaders makes it difficult to believe that Holy Spirit is still guiding the Church. Has the Holy Spirit abandoned the Church. No - such scandals have happened throughout the Church’s history because Jesus had the audacity to leave the Church in the hands of sinful human beings.

But he did not leave us to our own devices. He equipped us with the Holy Spirit to “teach us all things and to remind us of all that we had learned’ from Jesus. Despite the scandalous behavior of our human leaders, the Church has survived, and even thrived in every age – BECAUSE THE WORK OF THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH IS THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

It is the times that we have forgotten that we work for the Holy Spirit (and not the other way around) that the Apostolic nature of the Church is forgotten and the ship of the Church is adrift without the wind of the Holy Spirit in its sails.

It is not accident that we profess our belief in the Church in the part of the creed that professes faith in the Spirit – the two realities are intimately tied together. The Holy Spirit gives meaning and power to the Church’s Apostolic Nature.

That we stay connected to and open to the Holy Spirit is the extent to which the Church will stay connected to our Apostolic roots. It is the extent to which we will be faithful to Apostolic teachings and to the Apostolic Mission – It is the extent to which we will continue to be the Church of the “Sent ones.” – Like those original followers – SENT by Jesus, empowered by the Spirit. In this, the Work of the Church will thrive as it has in countless ages before – the Church will continue to be ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC.

ONENESS SHEPHERDING - homily for Good Shepherd Sunday- with some implications for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is observed as Good Shepherd Sunday each year because the Gospel Reading is taken from the 10th Chapter of John’s Gospel wherein Jesus identifies himself as “The Good Shepherd. John 10 is the middle of the Gospel and represents the height of the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish Authorities. He considers them the shepherds that have been placed over the house of Israel and criticizes them for not doing a very good job. In the middle of the chapter they ask hi’ “Tell us plainly, are you the Messiah?”

He answers them cryptically “My sheep know my voice and follow me and I give them eternal life…”
The implication is “The very fact that you have to ask means that you are not part of my flock… Oh and if that is not clear enough, My Father is the real shepherd and I and my father are one…”
Chapter 10 is the fulcrum on which John’s entire Gospel project turns. IN it we see the Johannine community grappling with the central questions of that age of the Church: “Who is Jesus?” And “Who are we in relationship to Jesus?”

The Good Shepherd Image will help them answer those questions. We see that in the earliest Christian arts – Early Christians continued the Jewish prohibition against depicting heavenly realities – so no images of Jesus or crosses or crucifixes – rather there were simple symbols – fist, lambs, and shepherds. On the cover of today’s bulletin there is a reproduction of a 1st C. Fresco from the Catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome – It depicts a shepherd with a single sheep over his shoulders – the good shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep and goes in search of the 1 lost sheep – this is considered the earliest image of Jesus – the Good Shepherd.

But equally important to the identity of Jesus in the early Church is the last line of Today’s Gospel reading : The Father and I are one…” No utterance of Jesus scared the Jewish authorities than this one.
Jesus’ claim to be the Good Shepherd is based entirely on his self understanding of ONENESS with God the God of Israel, who is often identified as a shepherd in the ancient literature.
The oneness of Jesus and his Father is a central theme of Johannine Christology, and one of the most stunning claims of the 1st C. Church. In it we find the answer to the first question “who is Jesus?” But what of that second question – “Who are we in relationship to Jesus?”

Well, we are his flock. We here his voice and follow him. And as a result of this active believing, we have abundant life (John 10:10), we have eternal life.

But later in the Gospel, Jesus, the Good shepherd will call his entire flock to the same oneness that he experiences with the Father. In his last discourse and final prayer, the Johannine Jesus calls the flock to identify with him and to BE OONE with each other they way that they are one with him, and he is one with the Father. This ONENESS is the key connection between John’s Theology, John’s Christology and John’s Ecclesiology; that is his understanding of God, his understanding of the Messiah and his understanding of the Church: “Because my father and I are one, because you and I are one, it is possible for all of humanity to be one. “ This is the essential message of the Johannine Jesus and the full meaning of the Good Shepherd Image in John 10.

But there is another step in the analogy that is very important in the 1st Century Church’s self-understanding. If we are called to be one with the Father, and one with the son, then it is no longer enough to see ourselves as sheep. Being one with the shepherd Father and one with the Shepherd Son demands that we, every believer, see ourselves as shepherds.

It is the ancient witness of the Church that every baptized person is baptized into the three-fold self identity of Jesus Christ; that our baptism transforms us to be, like Jesus, priest, prophet, and king.
Each of us, as Christians are called to exercise in the contest of Christian lives, Jesus’ ministry as sacrifice and prayer (priest), as preacher and teacher (prophet), as leader and shepherd (king).

Good shepherd Sunday is celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Easter each year to help us to a deeper understanding not only of who Jesus is, but of who we are called to be in relationship with Jesus: As believers, we are called to exercise Jesus-like leadership, that is shepherding modeled on HIS the oneness shepherding that we read about in John’s Gospel. We practice it differently according our differing vocations and states f life, but each of us, graced by the Holy Spirit and united with the Good Shepherd himself, is called to bring salvific shepherding of Jesus Christ to the world.

The Johannine Jesus’ message of our oneness in him and the Father is a message that is supposed to transform the world. And every follower of Jesus is called to practice “Oneness shepherding” and contribute to that transformation.

The oneness to which Jesus calls us invites us to see all human beings as our brothers and sisters. It offers a universal ecclesiology that sees all people of equal dignity based on the teachings and prophetic actions of Jesus Christ. It calls all human beings into relationship with the God in whose image they are created.

The image of the Good shepherd is a transformative image that calls all humanity to oneness in God. John’s ecclesiology sees the whole world as church, that is why we have the image from the book of Revelation in the second reading today – gathered in front of the throne of God are “people from every tribe, and tongue, and race and nation…” We are all called to oneness in him.

The problem is that throughout the history of Christianity we have adopted the “shepherding” piece well, but the “oneness” piece, not so much. We like the exercise of leadership and authority. We like the power that goes along with that authority. But Jesus warns us that this is not the way he intends us to practice shepherding in his kingdom. The real power in Jesus message of shepherding is in the oneness to which Jesus calls us with the each other, with him and with the father.

To attempt the shepherding without the oneness is a formula for continuing everything that Jesus came to save us from. It is a formula for continued hatred, division, separation, fences, barriers, borders, insiders/outsiders, “us-ness”/”them-ness.”

When we read John’s Gospel carefully, we see that the early Church was plagued with these kinds of divisions and the Good Shepherd, who is one with the Father, is offered by the Johannine Jesus as solution to those divisions. This shepherd calls the whole world, not just a small congregation or a separated group, but all people to ONENESS with Him, oneness with God, and Oneness with each other.
This is the powerful message by which Jesus calls us to extend his message and ministry and to transform the world!

In the world today we see the peril of ignoring the oneness to which Jesus invites us. We see it in c so much irresolvable division in the world: in our families, our churches, in political and societal divisions.
But we are called to offer resolution to these divisions, to be examples of the oneness that is possible when we hear the voice of the good shepherd and follow his call. We are called to offer a n ecclesiology that is really an anthropology that sees the dignity of every human being and places human considerations before all other considerations; an ecclesiology based on the oneness of the human family.

It is in this context that the Bishops of our Church exercising their role as shepherds in the Church and in the world, have called Catholics to take a lead in promoting serious comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. A comprehensive reform that respects the rights and dignity of every human being.. We have seen in our state this week how the absence of such shepherding leave s a void that will be filled by, at best, injustice, and, at worst, stupidity.

The frustrating and complicated issues of immigration deserve serious reflections and justice – not unenforceable and cynical non-solutions that perpetuate fear, division, racism, and paranoia and scapegoat immigrants as the source of all the ills in society. Yes we for national reform, for serious actions, by serious people to solve serious problems, but we must do so while recognizing the rights of people to work, the rights of people to free movement for the sake of personal dignity and prosperity, and the goodness and dignity of all.

This is ne of the ways we are called to exercise Jesus’ shepherding in the world. And by “we,” I actually mean “YOU.” Shepherding in the political and secular sphere is the province of the laity. And that is why you must take seriously your responsibility as shepherds. We cannot let injustice prevail into his vital social justice issue., and our bishops, exercising their role as shepherds, call us to be educated and to take action and real leadership in the world. The bishops have compiled a large number of resources at justiceforimmigrants.org.

Jesus the good shepherd calls us to exercise our ministry as shepherds and to call the world to oneness. Until we take that role seriously, we will not be living the Gospel.

THE SHIP OF THE CHURCH ON STORMY WATERS: IT'S NOTHING NEW. Some notes from today’s preaching (Acts 6:1-7 and John 6:16-21)

Each year between Easter and Pentecost, we serially read the story of the Early Church from the Acts of the Apostles . There are great stories there that help us understand our roots and our beginnings. Over the years, I have come to realize that there are two different images of the Church presented by St. Luke in Acts: the idyllic, and the real. The ideal:

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one's need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. (Acts 4:32-34)

Fine in Chapter 2, and Chapter 4, but in Chapter 5 we find some real: Some (specifically Ananias and Saphirra) believers did not buy into this communist plot. There was a little tarnish on the new sheen of the nascent Church.

And then, the story in today’s reading from Chapter 6. Greek widows were being neglected by the Jewish Church. Nothing like a little institutionalized racism to necessitate the foundation of a whole new bureaucracy to take care of the needs of a few widows. When we scratch the surface we find that the picture was not nearly so rosy as St. Luke paints it. Was Luke lying? Was a he intentionally trying to give a rosier picture than is true?

I don’t think so. I think what we are encountering in the story of the early Church is something with which we are all familiar. It is reality of the dual nature of the Church – it is a divine institution and it is a human institution. Instituted by the Christ, the Church is an ideal. (Jesus is the perfect idealist) There are principles of perfection that we all strive for: being one mind and one heart (“Let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus,” St. Paul would tell the Philippians.), having all things in common: all having what they need, no one hoarding more than they need, devoting ourselves to the Eucharist and other prayers, staying close to the Scriptures and preaching the Word, thousands being attracted to this way of life because we do it so well. The Church in Acts was confronted with phenomenal challenges: some theological and philosophical (Who is this Jesus guy?) , some practical (How do we follow Jesus’ teachings?), some internal (authority, ministry), some external (opposition and persecution). In the midst of all this, they strived to live the ideals about which Luke writes.

But from the beginning, the Church is limited by the reality of sin. Yes, the power of the Spirit and the promised and abiding presence of the Resurrected Christ would keep the gates of hell from prevailing against the Church, but we would always, in every age and era of the Church have to deal with the reality that the primary tools and instruments that Jesus and the Spirit would use for their work are sinful human beings. The good news is that despite our sinfulness, the ideals remain and the work of God continues.
It amazes me sometimes, given the scandal and the limitations of the Church that anyone joins us. This year especially as I baptized four adult converts and received six others into the Church, I ask why, given the bad press we have both deserved and received, people would make this choice. But the Acts of the Apostles gives us the answer: the affect of sin in the life of Church is nothing new. The Church is made up of sinners who, though baptized and forgiven, still sin. But we are sinners driven by the ideals of the Resurrected One. And even through the tarnish of sin, the glory of that resurrection continues to shine in us.

The Gospel reading from John 6 also gives us another image to reflect on when the Church is rocked by storms. A boat has often been used as a symbol for the Church (the Church is the “barque of Peter”). There are numerous stories in the Gospels of Jesus encountering his disciples in a boat during choppy waters. Sometimes he is in the boat ( Matthew 8, Mark 4, Luke 8), others he shows up walking on the choppy waters ( Matthew 14, Mark 6, John 6 ). These are particularly apt images for what we see of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles, and for a Church rocked by the storm of scandal such as we see today. Whether of internal or external origin, there is no period in the Churches history completely free of storm. But at all time, we remember that a) Jesus is in this boat with us (“I am with you always,” Matt 28) and b) he is not only the master of the boat, he is the master of the storm (“Who is this man that even the wind and sea obey him?” Mark 4:40). Beginning in its earliest days until today, the ship of the Church has encountered many storms. We sail into our peril if we think that somehow the boat and mission are ours. But when we trust that we sere the master of the boat and the master of sea, he will calm the storm and help us arrive safely at the “shore to which we are headed.”

JESUS SAID "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN." OH REALLY? Notes from my homily at Monday's daily Mass

“Are you “Born Again?” Is a common conversation started for so-called Evangelical Christians. There are many people who identify themselves as “born again Christians.” In modern discussions, it has become a category akin to a denomination. Generally, proponents of this position have a very specific meaning for the phrase “born again:” that at a specific moment on a clock and calendar, one accepted Jesus as his or her “personal savior.” The judgment that attaches to this view is that if you have not had a Pauline Damascus Road moment, you cannot really call yourself a Christian. A related question is “When were you saved?” This is not language that is commonly used by Catholics (and many other Christian groups). This phrase is taken from the John 3 conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, a Pharisee from the Jewish Council who seeks to understand Jesus’ teachings and motivations better. Here’s the rub: this pet phrase of so-called “Bible-believing born again Christians” is never uttered by Jesus. Jesus never said (at least not in the Christian Scriptures): “You must be born again.” In fact, the phrase that has been so canonized by modern Christians is itself based on Nicodemus’ misunderstanding and is corrected by Jesus.

Now don’t get me wrong: rebirth and regeneration are perfectly valid Christian theological concepts that are related to baptism, justification, and sanctification. And there is no reason to chuck the notion of being “born again.” But it is equally important not to place a false understanding on it and insist that Jesus said “you must be born again - and by that I mean you have to have a point-in-time Damascus Road experience.” The Scriptural witness simply does not support that view.

So what does Jesus say in John 3 that Nicodemus misunderstands as “born again?” Jesus says “ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖντὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. ” which translates “Unless a man is begotten from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Greek word “ἄνωθεν ” (anothen) is used in the NT only 13 times, 2 of them right here in John 3. It always speaks of realities that are above (i.e. heavenly). Its basic root is “ano” which means “up” or “above” in Ancient Greek. It never means “again” or “a second time.” Interesting. So where does the idea of a “born again come from?” A confused Nicodemus (or perhaps a man playing with words) asks about crawling back in his mother’s womb and being born “δεύτερον” or “a second time” or “again.” Voila – “Born Again!” But Jesus corrects Nicodemus’ misunderstanding: you are talking about your birth in the Flesh, which avails only flesh, I am talking about a birth in Spirit and Water – a clear Baptismal reference. Remember that John is the most Catholic of the Gospels and is written near the end of the 1st Century– he focuses on the sacramental life of the Church in many of his writings. These instructions are for the Church. The Water reference here is to the rebirth that happens in the regenerating waters of baptism. Paul also spoke of this in his letter to the Romans, only he would choose death/resurrection language instead of birth/rebirth language: “Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”

Why this language in this particular conversation. Context is everything. Jesus’ definitive statement about being born from above is given to this “Leader of the Jews” who believes that his relationship with God is guaranteed by his birth. He has the blood of Abraham in his veins, he must be part of the Kingdom. Jesus assures him that his fleshly birth has produced nothing but flesh and that more is required, a birth in the Spirit. Again, the context for much of the Fourth Gospel is the conflict between Church and Synagogue. By the last decade of the First Century, Christians are being actively expelled from Jewish Communities (This will give the context for the believer/unbeliever dichotomy later in chapter 3). John is writing instructions for his Jewish followers who must understand that that under the new covenant, the relationship offered to Jews and written in their flesh, is offered to all in the Spirit and will be written on their hearts in their belief and by their baptism.

The Fourth Gospel is structured so differently from the others because of this important historical reality. Chapters 3-10 are instructions for the suffering Church intermingled with post-temple Judaism. It draws on teachings and actions of Jesus which provide answers for the specific problems faced by the Johannine community as they mourn their expulsion and rejection in Jewish society. This knowledge helps us know how to appropriate the lessons of the Fourth Gospel in our 21st Century context.

So why is this prepositional distinction important? I said that rebirth and regeneration are valid theological concepts. So why make a fuss about this text? Because this misinterpretation is used by some arrogant modern era Christians to beat others over the head – “You must be born again!” has a very specific meaning in those circles – and is used to perpetuate the “us/them,” “insider/outsider” language that has plagued Christianity since the reformation. I would argue that what is said by those who insist on a narrow “born again experience” are NOT saying the same thing as the theologically correct understanding of rebirth presented either in John 3 or the rest of the Christian Scriptures, which understand and encourage the gradual growth in faith in the context of community that is by far the more common experience of Christians throughout history. This prepositional distinction is important as an exercise in proper use of and reading of the Bible. Many people take at face value that Jesus said “You must be born again,” and have developed a modern theology around it based on the canonization of a misunderstanding. That theology is not supported by the text, and the arrogance with which it insisted upon hurts the cause of the Church.

Thank God for the Damascus Road experience for those who experience and need it. But for most of us, the coming to faith is more an “Emmaus Road” experience wherein faith and understanding evolve over time and experience with the help of Jesus who understands that, or a Thomasine upper room experience where Jesus, the good teacher, invites us gently to move from “unbelieving to believing” and provides us with help to make that transition. But that’s another sermon for another time.

For every baptized believer, the answer to the question “Have you been born again?” is a resounding “Yes!” Because what Jesus insists on in John 3 is a combination of our belief and being “begotten in water and the Spirit.” While many of us cannot remember precisely when we started believing (even if we can mark a baptism on a calendar), our belief is no less valid than those who have had the so-called “born-again” experience.

STAY CLOSE TO THE SCRIPTURES: Some Reflections on the Post-Resurrection Appearances in Luke 24 - Thursday, April 8, 2010

The two stories in Luke 24 offer a very important insight for believers 21 centuries removed from the Resurrection and especially for Catholics. In both the account of Jesus’ appearance into his disciples on the Emmaus Road (Lk 24:13-35), and the appearance to the gathered disciples in Jerusalem immediately following (Lk 24:36-49), Jesus, always the teacher, does not simply appear to his followers, he helps them move from emotional shock (sadness, confusion, skepticism) to belief in a very specific way: He teaches them from the Scriptures.

Before Cleopas and his companion can recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread, first they must be instructed: “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.” (vs 27). Even after they recognized Jesus “in the breaking of the bread,” the disciples would realize that that was only possible in light of their instruction in Scripture: "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" (vs. 32). I think there is an important admonition here for all believers – in those moments when we doubt the resurrection, in those moments when we are trying our best to make heads and tails of our relationship with Jesus or who Jesus is, when we are simply too sad, to angry, too confused to get the Lord, the place to turn is our Scriptures. And I think there is a particular admonition for Catholics who sometimes treat the Scriptures as a pain to be endured until so we can get to the “good stuff” (the Eucharist). If the Emmaus story teaches us nothing else, it teaches us the essential connection between our life in the Word and our Sacramental life. Jesus could only open their eyes in the breaking of the bread because he instructed them in the Scriptures. Vatican II sought to restore a balance in Catholic Life and worship between Word and Sacrament. The Emmaus Story validates that balance: we can see Jesus present in the Eucharist because we have come to understand his presence in the Word.

Likewise in Jesus’ immediate appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem, he instructed them in the Scriptures: "’These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. “ (vss. 44-45). This would come immediately before he reminded them that “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (vs. 47), and that such preaching would be their responsibility. The lesson for us is that before we can fulfill our commission to be witnesses to Jesus we must open ourselves to be instructed in the Word. Not only would the disciples need the word to help them believe in the Resurrection, they would need it to strengthen them for the work ahead.

If even those who were eyewitness to the Resurrected Jesus needed the witness of scripture to aid them in their unbelief and to strengthen them for their ministry, how much more do we, 21 centuries later, need that same help. Read the Bible, stay close to the Scriptures, allow God to write it on your hearts, it is impossible to believe and work as Jesus calls us, without it: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”(2 Tim 3:16)

Holy Thursday 2010

So many people commented about my Holy Thursday Homily on facebook that i was asked for a copy of it by friends who live in other places and by locals who were not at Holy Thursday Mass at the Newman Center. As often is the case, I did not preach from a prepared text that night and, while i had spent long hours in preparation (and agony) over this homily, much of what I said that night welled up from my heart. I have attempted a reconstruction of the homily here - if anyone who was present remembers soemthing else I have left out, let me know. Usual caveats apply - preaching is a spoken artform and a homily will always seem flat on the written page.

Happy Holy Thursday to everyone!

This day, there are really two different realities of the Church celebrated: The institution of the Eucharist and, correlatively, the establishment of the priesthood. Liturgically, the priesthood is celebrated at the diocesan celebration called the “chrism mass” which is envisioned to take place earlier on Holy Thursday in the Diocesan Cathedral at which all the priests of the diocese gather in celebration with their bishop. Properly, in the parish setting, the only Mass that may be celebrated today is the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper which is clearly focused on the establishment of the Eucharist. That at his last supper, Jesus offers himself broken and poured out for the salvation of the world. But with the ministerial focus of the foot-washing Gospel, some priests feel compelled to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper as a celebration of priesthood as well. I have managed to preach through 13 years of Holy Thursdays never once mentioning the priesthood except in a very peripheral way. Even though this day is celebrated as the “feast of the priesthood, “ I have felt that the focus was properly on the Eucharist.

But this year I have been reflecting a lot about priesthood and feel compelled to speak about it. After all, it is “year for priests.” I have to admit that when Pope Benedict called for a “year for priests,” I was not thrilled. In fact I was somewhat embarrassed. I was in Jerusalem when I first heard about it and I remember literally laughing out loud and saying to my classmates “What year isn’t a ‘year for priests’ in this Church?” After years of so much negative focus on priesthood, I finally felt we were beginning to move beyond a constant focus on scandal and I simply wished he had not called for this special observance. (incidentally, I gotta believe in recent weeks that maybe he’s feeling the same way now…)

I also determined that I would never publicly speak of the year for priests. And until tonight I have kept that promise. Not that I am ashamed of being a priest, I love being a priest, and not that I don’t appreciate the call for greater prayers for our priests, we all need it – I just feel that too much of Catholic life is focused on priests and when I read tonight’s Gospel – Jesus’ washing of his disciple’s feet – I gotta wonder how come priests today don’t look like that? One theology of priesthood sees the establishment of a priesthood on Holy Thursday, but if we are really honest, we have to admit that nothing has changed so much or so often in the history of the Church as our understanding of priesthood. One must wonder if Jesus would even recognize today’s priesthood as the one he established on Holy Thursday.

If we understand the disciple of Jesus as the originators of a ministerial priesthood and we see it having grown out of Holy Thursday, then the primary function of priesthood is supposed to be servitude – we are supposed to be washers of feet. Where did this go wrong? When did it change?

Historically that is a really easy question to answer: It changed drastically early in the Fourth Century. When Constantine made the Church , first legal, and, then official: Catholic Priesthood took on a very different face. Christian priests took over many of the religious and social functions that had been held by pagan preists in the Empire previous to the ‘conversion’ of the Empire. Christian priests, like the Jewish priests of Jesus’ Day (and before whom Jesus would be tried later tonight), were officials of the Roman Empire. One need only look at some of the remaining vestiges of those days to see what I am talking about: The bishop of Rome still uses the Title ‘Pontifex Maximus’ a pagan title from the days of the Roman Empire related to the blessing of imperial public works. ‘Diocese’ and ‘Parishes’ were administrative divisions of the Empire. A ‘basilica’ was a building for public gatherings and public administration, and this vestment that I am wearing is a modification of a Roman official’s vestment. Priests went from being hunted outlaws of the empire committed to serving the needs of their people at their own peril to chief citizens of the empire. Protestants still criticize Catholics because so many of our ritual and external functions came from our connection to the Empire. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are many good things that came from this shift – when the empire collapsed it would be priests and other churchmen who would have the organization and resources to hold society together. But because of this, priests would grow in great prestige and the imperial priesthood would emerge from the Middle Ages with even more power than it had in antiquity.

One must wonder how we got from “whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mt 20:26-28)" to a priesthood known, at the end of the middle ages as ‘the First Estate…” Is it any wonder that poor of France would rise up against the “First Estate?”

Jesus reserved his harshest criticism for religious leaders who lost their focus, forgot that they were called to be servants, and got ‘too big for their britches…” His deepest condemnations were for clergy who called their aggrandizing of themselves “service to God…” It makes sense then that every major reformed called for in the Church from antiquity to the protestant revolt to our present day has included some element of calling clergy back to the model we are given on Holy Thursday - "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” John 13:12-15

The one we (Dominicans) are most aware of is the reform demanded by the Albigensian controversy in Southern France in the 13th Century. It ended with the foundation of our Order. One of the reason that Christians in Southern France were turning to the Albigensian heresy in droves is because the leaders of the Albigensians adopted apostolic poverty. The bishops and clergy of the Catholics lived in palaces, owned huge estates and were tied up in temporal affairs more than spiritual. Dominic Guzman knew that the Albigensians were on to something real and insisted that if his followers were going to be successful in winning the Albigensians back to the Church, they too would have to look more like the Jesus they preached and the Dominicans adopted apostolic poverty s one of the principles of our lives.

I have agaonized in recent days over reports that the scandals that rocked the Church in our country in recent years are now rocking it as hard in Europe and other places. The world should be scandalized when we do not live up to our promises. The world should be scandalized when the protection of church reputation seems to be a higher concern than the protection of the weakest and most vulnerable in our midst. The church should be scandalized, you should be scandalized, I should be scandalized! Many of you know that I worked in provincial administration before coming to Tucson, right in the midst of the worst days of the scandals that rocked the US Church. It is mind-numbing to remember how much time, energy and resources we poured in to dealing with the aftermath of scandalous behavior by only a few, but a few too many. It was demoralizing and heart breaking. But it also taught me to understand that much of the scandal was not a failure of sex or sexuality, it was not a failure of celibacy or chastity – so much of what we saw in this country and what is coming to light in other places was a failure of arrogance, a failure of entitlement, a failure of privilege, a failure of secrecy and a failure to model our priesthood on the self-sacrificing priesthood of Jesus. And for that I and every priest in the world owes you and apology and penance…

I stand before you this Holy Thursday as I do every Holy Thursday – a sinful man in need of your prayers. I took shortcuts on my Lenten promises just like you did. I need to go to confession more often, just like you do… I struggle to make the right choices and do the right things just like you do. I suppose I’m not a very holy man by some people’s measure. And as a priest I need your prayers to grow in holiness and faithfulness. I suppose that if I wanted to appear more holy, I could say more masses, or increase the number of days that I say my office completely and correctly, I could put on more holy clothes and bow more deeply, I could fold my hands just so and utter Latin prayers all day long. But those things are not about holiness, they are about religion; and we don’t need our priests to be more religious we need them to be more holy. And the only way we will ever achieve that is to be priests more like Jesus is a priest – to allow ourselves to be broken and poured out for the world the way Jesus was broken and poured out; to give our lives – our body and blood for the service of others – to be servants willing to wash the feet of others. In this, and this alone can we achieve the Holiness demanded by Jesus.

And you know what: we (priests) are not the only one called to that kind of holiness. One of the problems in our church is that you have been convinced that we are supposed to be more holy than you and you excuse yourselves while holding us to a higher standard. Isn’t that convenient for you? NO! You are held to the exact same standard. This is not just the anniversary of the establishment of the priesthood, this is the anniversary of the establishment of a ministry to which we are all called. You are are called to be servants as much as I am.

Pope Benedict called on you to pray for your priests. This is the part of the year for priests that I like very much. Yes, you should be praying that we will be holy and Godly men. But you should also be holding us accountable. The image and standard of the priesthood that you should be holding us to is the servant on his knees washing the feet of others. When we do not look like this, when we are conforming ourselves rather to an imperial image and setting ourselves on pedestals, you must hold us accountable and call for the reform of the priesthood. As I said at the beginning of the homily, nothing has changed more or more often in the history of the Church than the shape of the priesthood, it can change again – it must continually change until all priests see their primary leadership in service.

In a few minutes, I am going to wash the feet of 12 of our students. I wish I had time to wash all your feet. This was an amazing prophetic gesture on Jesus’ part by which he demonstrated what leadership would mean among his followers. As I repeat this gesture, the 12 will represent all of you and I will represent all priests. But in addition to washing feet tonight, I am going to anoint the feet of these twelve with genuine spikenard. In addition to repeating the prophetic gesture of Jesus, I am also repeating the prophetic gesture of the woman who anointed Jesus feet. I do so in prayer that we priests who have so much for which we have been and need to be forgiven, might learn to love more. He who is forgiven much, loves much…

And in this year for priests, I beg not only for your forgiveness, but also for your prayers that we might live more completely the holiness Jesus calls us too and demonstrated for us…