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Mercy’s Month by Scott Hahn

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 04.09.14 |

I can think of no better month to serve as a summary of Christian life. Lent runs late this year, so it feels like God’s taking a little bit longer to work with me. The Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah saw God as a patient potter, purposeful as he molds his creations.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Lent is the time God works and re-works us, and we try our best to be docile and pliable. We go into Ash Wednesday with good intentions, and then we fall, and then we get up again; and we repeat the cycle many times. “And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do” (Jeremiah 18:4).

It is a mercy to live as you and I do. It is a mercy to have the traditions we have received from the Apostles through the saints. It is a mercy that we can go often to the sacrament of Confession. It is a mercy that we can live Lent together every year.

This is our first full Lent with the “Pope of Mercy.” The Holy Father’s emphasis on mercy seems to be the one thing that secular journalists usually get right when they talk about him. He repeats his message so often that it’s hard to miss. He tells us that God never tires of forgiving us; it’s we who get tired of asking for forgiveness.

So let’s not tire as we head into the home stretch of our Lent, and as we enter Holy Week and the Triduum. God will give us the grace to finish well, even if we’ve stumbled often.

Why? Because that’s his purpose throughout the story we’re remembering this month. He came to save us — save us from our sins! But that’s just a prelude. He forgives our sins and heals us so that we can live a life that’s divine, sharing his own nature with us even as he shares ours (see 2 Peter 1:4).

Lent is the time when the potter takes his clay and works it into another vessel — a vessel of honor and of divinity — a vessel of holiness and grace. God created us to be saints; and when we fell he called us again to be saints. Only saints will live in heaven; and you and I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.

The mercies of the Catholic life are many, and not least of them is the canonization of saints. God gives us, through the infallible judgment of the Church, the ability to know that certain people are living with him now in heaven. They are interceding for us. Their lives of faith can serve as reliable roadmaps for our own in the years we have remaining.

This Mercy Sunday is especially auspicious because Pope Francis will then canonize two of his beloved predecessors, Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII. It was my great joy to meet with Pope John Paul II on several occasions; and I can’t help but feel personally invested in that day.

But he touched so many lives. He set records by drawing some of the largest crowds in history — millions of people — and he reached many more through television. His funeral was “attended” by hundreds of millions who tuned in via television and the Web.

He never sought fame, but he sought glory — God’s glory — and he was willing to let it shine through him to the world.

That’s what we’re all called to do — not to assume the papacy, but to be that vessel, that lamp in which the light of Christ can shine.

Lent has been forming us for the task — molding clay into lamps — molding sinners into saints. As the month ends, we’ll have so many reasons to celebrate God’s mercy.

Why Did Jesus Die?

The Word for Palm (Passion) Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/041314.cfm

Is 50: 4-7
Ph 2: 6-11
Mt 26: 14 – 27: 66

Why did Jesus die and who is responsible for his death? This question has been debated by historians and scripture scholars for centuries. Why did Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet of compassion and mercy who did so much good for others in his preaching and healing and who insisted on non-violence, forgiveness, mercy and love for one’s enemies die such a tortuous death, that of a criminal?

The fact that we believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of all humankind, is somewhat beside the point if you ask this above question on a purely historical level. Our faith teaches the effects of his death and resurrection is central to our lives. As Christians we embrace the whole salvific event. We have the hope of eternal life through a merciful God who paid the price for our sins.

But, those of Jesus’ time, who lived and walked with him; who ate in his company and were impressed by his miracles and his faith and those, especially the rejected, the abject poor and hopeless, the sinners and persecuted, who saw in Jesus a great hope, were unaware of our present day theological explanations. To them, Jesus was certainly in the prophetic mold, he was a wonder-worker and a man of deep faith and compassion, particularly for those on the margins of society. He was mysterious and at the same time connected with everyone on a deep human level.

Before the experience of the risen Lord, Jesus appeared as only a man yet who had a very singular relationship with God so that he referred to God as his “Father.” Even his inner circle of confidants, the twelve chosen to share intimately in his ministry, was not in agreement.

So his death was a shock and scandal; disillusionment and a confusing reality in a hopeful future. We can imagine the Apostles’ fear and “what now?” mood after Jesus’ crucifixion. We can also wonder about what the masses of people who followed Jesus and hung on his every word and who saw in him their greatest hope for liberation, filled with further hatred for the Roman occupiers and the Jewish authorities who they knew were in league with the Romans.

But, one thing we can say for certain is that the Jewish people as a whole cannot be blamed for the death of Jesus. The Church has come a long way in its understanding and position and with the more enlightened inspiration of the Second Vatican Council, the official position of the Catholic Church is that the Jewish people are not responsible for the death of Jesus.

Then, who is? During this Lent I have been reading a recommended book on Jesus entitled: Jesus, An historical approximation by Jose A Pagola, a Spanish priest. Pagola presents a fascinating and inspiring picture of Jesus of Nazareth. It is well researched and the footnotes are worth the read alone. I have found it a great read and would recommend it.

In his book Pagola writes on the conspiracy to kill Jesus:

“When Jesus speaks of an empire (the kingdom) even if he calls it God’s empire, the rulers have to be worried . . . his activity is dangerous. Wherever he goes, he arouses the hope of the dispossessed with an unheard-of- passion: ‘Blessed are the poor, for the empire of God is yours’ . . . This man is telling everyone that God’s will goes against Caesar’s will. His message is clear to anyone who listens; the whole society must be made over on a different basis, restoring the true will of God . . .The Roman authorities are also hearing about his healings, and his extraordinary power to liberate people from demonic powers . . .”

On a purely historical level this is what the author’s research implies. And we must understand that without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. As we prepare for next Sunday’s glorious feast I might suggest we try to get inside the historical events of this week. What we read of in the Gospels, and what Pagola relates in his book, happened in real time and a real place; in a specific historical period and culture. So, the words of Jesus about rising from the dead remained unclear to his own Apostles. Until the empty tomb was discovered and Jesus appeared to them in his risen form, they remained in the dark.

If we step back for a moment and step inside the drama of this week: the glorious entry into Jerusalem (an especially disconcerting moment to the established authority of the Jews and the Roman occupiers), the Last Supper and the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the profound example of Jesus’ washing the disciples feet, the institution of the Priesthood (“Do this in remembrance of Me”), the tragedy of the arrest and crucifixion of this prophet of God’s mercy, we might find our own faith awakened with the same excitement and awe that was evident among those who witnessed his risen presence. It profoundly changed them and the direction of their lives and human history itself.

As we enter this holiest of weeks, let’s keep each other in prayer. No one of us walks this Christian journey alone. When we find the cross a reality in our own lives the hope of resurrection is always on the horizon. Although this week may seem more like a sunset – an entry into darkness – it’s only the faith of sunrise on Easter Sunday that gives hope and joy to our lives.

More will come . . .

Almighty and ever-living God,

who as an example of humility for the human race to follow

caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the Cross,

graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering

and so merit a share in his Resurrection.

(Collect for Palm Sunday)