Easter Reflections -- 50 Days of the Easter Season

Saturday, Fifth Week of Easter

While meeting with them he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father, about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”

Acts 1:4-5

Toward the end of Luke’s Gospel (the passage last Monday) Jesus had talked to them about “the promise of my Father.” He repeats that now and explicitly says that this “promise” is the Holy Spirit.

Luke’s Gospel has the earthly Jesus at center stage. In Acts we will see how the risen Jesus continues his work on earth through the Holy Spirit.

One wonders if we pay enough attention to this in the Church – the whole Church – or in dioceses, or in parishes, or in our individual lives.

• Prayers to begin meetings can be simply routine.

• I need to think of the Holy Spirit not as an abstraction, but as the risen Christ present and acting through the Spirit.

• It would help to begin each day with an “attitude” – where will the Spirit lead me today?

• It would help to tune in to the Spirit repeatedly during the day.

When I think that too much depends on me, an awareness of the Spirit can bring about a big sigh of relief.

It’s worth some thought. (And prayer!)

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 1, 2005

St. Peregrine

St. Peregrine was born in 1260 in Forli, Italy. He was a member of the Order of the Friar Servants of Mary, more popularly known as the Servite order, and was known for his preaching penance and spiritual direction.

He is the patron of cancer patients because it is said that he himself had cancer on his leg. On the night before his leg was to be amputated, he prayed to the crucified Jesus. When he fell asleep, he dreamed of Christ leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg.

When St. Peregrine awoke, his leg was healed.

St. Peregrine lived two more decades and died on this date in 1345. He was canonized in 1726.

Today is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Sixth Sunday of Easter

the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

You can’t tell whether an egg is raw or hard-boiled just by looking at it. They look the same. But if you spin an egg on a table, the raw egg will spin slowly and stop quickly. The hard-boiled egg will spin fast and keep on spinning.

Today’s readings say there should be a difference between someone who has received the gift of the Holy Spirit and someone who has not. We all look the same from the outside. But just as there is a difference in the way the hard-boiled egg and the raw egg spins, there should be a difference between the Christian and the non-Christian.

The presence of the Holy Spirit should show up in how we act. There should be a difference because God is present within me. Do I treat other people with an awareness of the presence of God within me?

Sometimes we seem to have the attitude that as long as we are correct, there is a certain freedom in treating others roughly. For example, the Zealots were correct – the Roman occupation forces were oppressive and they were wrong. The Zealots felt that, therefore, they could perform acts of violence and terrorism toward the Roman forces.

In today’s second reading, Peter tells them that this is not true. Nor is it true today!

That isn’t the example that Jesus set. Jesus was “correct” – but look how he treated those who were wrong. Stephen, the first martyr, was correct. But look how he treated his persecutors.

I am a temple of the Holy Spirit. Is there a difference between the way I treat people – even when they are wrong – and the way others do?

I need to pray about this.

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 2, 2005

True God from True God

Feast of St. Athanasius

Athanasius was the bishop of Alexandria from 329 A. D. until his death on this date in 373 A. D.

Alexandria is in northern Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea, and was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B. C. It was a major seaport and a center of learning. Its great lighthouse, built in the third century B. C., was said to be 406 feet high and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Athanasius lived at a time when the heresy of Arianism was widespread. Arianism maintained that the Son of God was created by God, and used as an instrument for the creation of the world. The famous phrase of the Arians was “ There was a time when he was not.” Jesus therefore, was not God by nature, but a created being who had the dignity of “Son of God” bestowed on him.

Athanasius helped lead the fight against Arianism and participated in the Council of Nicea which formulated the familiar creed used at Mass.

”We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father…”

Monday, Sixth Week of Easter

When they gathered together they asked him, “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the time or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.”

Acts 1: 6-7

The disciples are going to need the Holy Spirit. They’re already off on the wrong track. Jesus had mentioned the reign of God, and that sets them wondering about re-establishing the monarchy.

Jesus doesn’t go down the track. Quick fixes with military might weren’t what he was about. God’s plans are wider than the horizons of our minds.

Early Christians thought the world would end soon and as a result didn’t worry much about the shaping of this world. As time went on, their perspective shifted, and Christians began to get more involved in social issues. (In 1971, the World Synod of bishops affirmed that this is an essential part of the Church’s mission.)

Sometimes we get impatient and wonder why in 2,000 years things aren’t better.

It’s good to remember that God’s plan reaches across the whole cosmos – which we haven’t even been able to measure – and across ages and ages still unknown to us.

In that perspective, even a small act of love can change the balance of peace and justice in the world. We’re not the architects of God’s plan, but jewelers trying to work on one tiny gem – a life lived well.

A little time for prayer each day can help my perspective.

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 3, 2005

Feast of Saint Philip and Saint James

Philip is listed as one of the Twelve. James, a member of the Twelve, is referred to as the “brother/cousin” of the Lord – a family member who became the leader of the early Church in Jerusalem. A church in Rome has the relics of these two saints under the main altar, and that is why they are honored together in today’s feast.

* * *

In John’s Gospel, Phillip is among the first disciples called by Jesus. Twice he is a conduit for Jesus’ teachings.

• Jesus, wanting to feed the multitude, asks Philip “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Philip replies that even 200 days’ wages worth wouldn’t be enough. Jesus them miraculously feeds the people.

• At the Last Supper, Jesus says that if the apostles know him, they also know the Father. Philip says, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replies, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

* * *

James, a relative of Jesus, is among those to whom Paul says the risen Jesus appeared:

He appeared to Kephas, then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me

(1 Cor 15:4-8)

Tuesday, Sixth Week of Easter

”You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1: 8

The Holy Spirit again. One begins to realize how central the Spirit is to what we are about.

In these last words before his ascension, the risen Jesus tells them (and us): “You will be witnesses to me even to the ends of the earth.”

Thus we are to be, not only faithful followers, but witnesses. This is one of Luke’s main themes “witness” is used 20 times in Acts). This book will end with Paul, a prisoner in Rome, ”bearing witness to the kingdom of God.”

How do I witness? Street-corner preaching? Unlikely. I witness by whatever “shines” through my life all day long. It can be faith, hope and love. Or it can be skepticism, pessimism and apathy.

It’s something like daytime running lights on a car – they’re always “on”. My light shines before others whether I like it or not. I can’t turn it off. My only choice is what kind of light shall shine.

Shall I smile…or look blank?

Shall I be kind…or neutral?

Shall I be forgiving…or make them pay for what they did?

Shall I heal…or just watch?

Shall I speak constructively…or negatively?

”You will be my witnesses.”

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 4, 2005

Feast of St. Florian

St. Florian was a Roman army officer who served in Austria in the second century during the persecutions of Diocletian. After he refused an order to execute a group of Christians, Florian then professed his own faith, and he too was martyred.

* * *

Legend says that Florian once saved a town from burning by throwing a single bucket of water on the blaze. That is why he is regarded as the patron of firefighters.

* * *

On September 11, 2001, more than 350 firefighters were killed during the attack on the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Among those who also died was Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM, chaplain to the firefighters.

* * *

On this date in 1626, the Indians sold Manhattan for $24.00 in cloth and buttons.

Wednesday, Sixth Week of Easter

When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.

Acts 1: 9

As noted earlier, Luke dramatizes the end of Christ’s visible appearances with a scene in which the disciples visibly see him depart. He is the only New Testament writer to do this.

By dramatizing it this way, Luke is also teaching a deeper truth. When the risen Christ passed through death and went to the Father, he brought the human body into the realm where we thought only spirits and angels could dwell. From now on, we all belong there.

During the 50-day Easter Season, we celebrate the feast of all creation. No longer do we picture a future without matter. Flesh has been redeemed and glorified, and will last forever.

That’s what we believe and, in that sense, we’re materialists.”. We don’t want to destroy this world. We want the world to be transformed and be part of our future.

Today would be a good time to notice this good earth around us…and thank God not only for creating it, but for giving all of this – and us – a future.

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 5, 2005

Ascension Thursday

Today, 40 days after Easter, has been the traditional date for “Ascension Thursday.” (Some countries, including the United States, have moved it to this coming Sunday.

Before the post-Vatican II restoration of the liturgy, a small ritual took place at the Ascension Thursday Mass – a ritual that obscured the meaning of the Ascension. The paschal candle symbolizes the presence of the risen Christ here on earth. On Ascension Thursday, immediately after the Gospel, the server would snuff out the paschal candle. Christ had ascended…and this implied that He was gone.

Today, the candle isn’t snuffed out. It continues to burn as a sign that Christ is present in a new form of human existence that breaks through the barriers of space and time.

Christ’s Ascension is about presence, not absence!

* * *

Even after the Ascension, the paschal candle remains lit for the rest of the Easter Season…and is lit throughout the whole year at baptisms and funerals.

* * *

We’re ten days away from Pentecost, popularly called the “Birthday of the Church.”

Thursday, Sixth Week of Easter

While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

Acts 1: 10-11

Luke pictures the disciples straining upward to see the distant speck that by now has soared out of sight.

Back when we began these Easter Season meditations, the women came to the empty tomb and saw “two men in white robes” who explained what had taken place in the resurrection.

Now Luke brings these two back again to explain what has taken place in the Ascension. They begin with a question which implies, “You’ve got things to do…more than just standing here watching.” Christ’s words just a few verses earlier echo in our ears: “You will be witnesses to me.”

The angels them explain two things to them:

(1) Jesus “has been taken up from you.” From now on, he will be seen no more in visible form, but will lead them through his Spirit.

(2) Jesus will come back in the same way you saw him go.” i.e. visibly. We don’t know the time of his visible return, but we do know that he will manifest himself again.

St. Paul said, “We walk by faith, not my sight.” What a difference it makes to believe all this!

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 6, 2005

A Sabbath Day’s Journey

The Book of Genesis says: “Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.”

In Jesus’ time, the average person had to work every day to eke out a living. But the chosen people had been adopted into God’s royal family. So, even if they were poor, on the Sabbath they did what the rich people did. They dressed up, ate well, and took it easy.

Then came questions about the fine details. What constituted work? Could they feed their animals on the Sabbath? Could they travel?

Legal interpretations were handed down, and a complicated tangle of Sabbath laws developed. The liberating spirit of the law which seemed so simple (“Take a day off.”) gave way to the letter of the law, and a fear of breaking one of the detailed Sabbath rules.

For instance, it had been determined that one could travel only 2,000 cubits on a Sabbath. A cubit (Latin for elbow) was the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, or about 18 inches. This meant that on a Sabbath one could not walk more than half a mile.

* * *

Yom Shoah

A Jewish day of remembrance that has been added in modern times is observed on this date. Yom Shoah (Hebrew for “Day of Desolation”) commemorates the Holocaust – the systematic slaughter of six million Jewish men, women and children during World War II.

Friday, Sixth Week of Easter

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

Acts 1: 12

The early Church was now in exactly the same circumstances we are today. Christ – died, risen and ascended to heaven – is no longer visibly present to them and they must deal with organizational issues, internal conflict, questions Jesus never had to face.

When we read the Acts of the Apostles and watch how the early Church dealt with its problems, we get a strong sense of the Lord’s guiding hand leading them through whatever they faced.

To put it another way, we are in exactly the same circumstances as the early Church. Remember…

• The Lord is just as present to us.

• The struggles we face are no more difficult than the ones faced by the early Church.

• Church members today are no different than the early Church – each of us a mixture of saint and sinner.

• It is the Lord who calls us together and sustains us and loves us – just as he loved those first disciples through their ups and downs.

Have a good heart toward our Church. Say a prayer for it, and all of us who are part of it.

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 7, 2005

The Twelve

Luke’s list of the Twelve (now “the Eleven”) presents an interesting group:

• Peter: Always named first. In Acts he is clearly the leader of the early Christians. He was killed in Rome about 30 years after the death of Christ, tradition says by crucifixion (upside down).

• John and James: Brothers, owners of a fishing business with Peter and Andrew. John works closely with Peter in Acts. In a few years, James will be killed by Herod Agrippa.

• Andrew: Peter’s brother. Some traditions say he was crucified in Greece.

• Philip and Thomas: Not much is known about Philip – the name means “love of horses.” Thomas goes down in history as the doubter.

• Bartholomew: Little is known about him.

• Matthew and James: Matthew appears to have been a tax collector (for Rome.) Little is known about the other James.

• Simon the Zealot: The Zealots were a group who resisted the Roman occupation (ironically, the Twelve also includes Matthew who collected taxes for Rome.)

• Judas, son of James: Often called “Jude” to avoid being confused with the other Judas – who is no longer listed.

Saturday, Sixth Week of Easter

When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

Acts 1: 15

The “they” so far in Acts had been the 11 apostles. They go to the upper room, the site of their assembly and prayer in the coming days, and the site of Pentecost.

The Twelve were the highest ranking group in the earliest years of the Church. Recall that Jacob had 12 sons, and they were the origin of the 12 tribes of Israel. The community of early Christians saw themselves as the “new Israel: with a “new covenant” and the Twelve symbolized this.

But external rank and internal holiness are two different things – as is evident from the Twelve chosen by Jesus, and Church leaders ever since. The list through the centuries is a checkered one, with some extraordinarily holy, and some otherwise.

Of course, all of us who follow “the Way” have checkered lives. We don’t claim to be the elite of the elite. That’s why we start Mass by saying aloud, “Lord have mercy.” We’re at our best when we acknowledge that we are sinners.

Lord have mercy…on all of us. On me.

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 8, 2005

The Ascension

“Ascension” is used in two different senses:

1. At the resurrection, Jesus went not back to earth, but to the Father. He ascended to the Father, and that is where he is forever and ever. (This resurrection/ascension is not described in any of the Gospels.)

2. No longer limited by time and space, Jesus is present, closer than ever before. After his resurrection/ascension Jesus manifested himself to the disciples at various times and places in an extraordinary, visible way. At some point these special appearances came to an end. The visible ascension that Luke described at the end of his Gospel, and that he describes in Acts, was a way of dramatizing the end of these extraordinary, visible appearances.

Today is Mother’s Day.

Seventh Sunday of Easter/Ascension of the Lord

We think of Jesus ascending to heaven as through he left us -- “retired”. But Jesus promised the disciples, “I’m going away and I’m coming back to you.” He wasn’t talking about coming back at the end of the world. He was talking about coming back after he had gone through death to the other side, to a transformed human existence, ascended to heaven, and sent his own Spirit to be with us and close to us.

Now that is a beautiful teaching.

Sometimes I may think that because Jesus ascended, he’s left me. But Jesus is able to come back to me and be with me, closer than he could be with the disciples when they were traveling with him. That’s because when he sent them off in different directions, he couldn’t go with each of them. He was limited by time and space, as we are. But now having gone through death to a transformed human life, Jesus can be close with each of us – not just alongside us but in the Spirit. He’s there to be on our side, with us. The last words of today’s Gospel – “And behold I am with you all days, even to the end of the age.” – are to console us, to protect us, to help us, to heal us, to give us comfort.

It’s great news.

We use many images for God because God is way beyond anything we can think of. We talk of God as a shepherd. God’s not a shepherd, but God is like a shepherd because God takes care of the flock. God is a rock. God’s not a rock, but God is solid. We use the image of Father. God’s not a father. God’s not a man.

On this day, think of the image of God as a loving grandparent, because grandparents love their grandchildren. Grandparents, even if we do something wrong, understand. And in some way they manage always to be on our side.

Always.

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 9, 2005

Peter Maurin

The world would become better off if people tried to become better. And people would become better if they stopped trying to become better off. ~~Peter Maurin

Peter Maurin (born on this day in 1877) and St. Therese Lisieux were the strongest influences on the spirituality and work of Dorothy Day.

Peter was a peasant farmer from southern France who immigrated to New York in 1909. Although Peter looked like a ragged drifter on skid row, his keen mind devised a Catholic social philosophy that brought together sociology, politics and economics and placed them at the heart of the Gospel. He proposed a social and religious program of action designed to improve social order and create a society by which it would be easier for people to be good.

Maurin met Dorothy Day in New York in 1932. Working together, they began a newspaper to teach people about Catholic social teaching, established a hospitality house to house and feed the poor, and initiated weekly meetings of other people dedicated to social justice. This developed into the Catholic Worker Movement.

Novenas

The passage in the next post is the origin of praying “novenas.” After the Ascension described in Acts, the disciples devoted themselves to prayer. Nine days later, the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost.

“Novena” comes from the Latin word for nine and has come to be used for any number of consecutive days of intense prayer, asking God to respond to a particular need.

Monday, Seventh Sunday of Easter

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Acts 1: 14

Now, besides the Eleven, we see some of the other members of the early community.

The women were the ones who came to Jerusalem with Jesus from Galilee for the Passover, some of whom figured prominently at the cross and at the tomb.

The names of the “brothers” of Jesus are listed in Mark (not in Luke) as James, Joses, Judas and Simon. Much has been written about whether these are blood brothers or relatives, neighbors, etc. The Greek word used here is sometimes used in those broader senses, although it normally means blood brother. Thus the controversy. The Catholic tradition is that Mary had no other child but Jesus.

Which brings us to Mary. She is part of this small community, and here she is praying with them. This is the last time she will be seen, and the only time her name is mentioned outside the Gospels. Tradition has it that she lived on in Jerusalem, apparently very quietly.

Her greatness wasn’t recognized until long after her life ended. That’s often true. Most of the greatest ones are never recognized. Only the Lord knows.

We can probably think of some we know personally. Who would be on our list?

Spend some quiet time with the Risen Lord.

May 10, 2005

The Jewish Feast of Pentecost

There are five more days in the Easter Season – it ends the evening of Pentecost Sunday.

Pentecost was a traditional Jewish feast celebrating the wheat harvest – a joyful celebration like the “Thanksgiving Day” celebrated in many countries. Originally it wasn’t on a set date, but celebrated whenever the harvest was ready. But gradually it became customary to celebrate it 50 days after Passover. That’s what the Greek word “Pentecost” means: 50th day.

In time, an additional meaning was given to this feast. Jewish leaders calculated that when their ancestors left Egypt, they arrived at Mt. Sinai approximately seven weeks later. It was here that God gave Moses the Law, and the Covenant was sealed: “I will be your God, and you will be my people.”

So, 50 days after Passover (which celebrated their escape from Egypt) was an appropriate time to celebrate the Sinai covenant which made the Jewish people God’s “Chosen people.”

Luke’s description of the Spirit coming upon the disciples on the very day of this feast underlines the significance of this event. It is a dramatic new beginning for the people of the New Covenant.

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