Jesus Christ is gloriously Alive

Delacroix's Christ on the Sea of Galilee

Happy Mother's Day! I remember my mother as one of my best cheerleaders. Moms encourage, mentor, teach, and patiently listen. And the most important thing a mother can give? Unconditional love! We can never fully measure such love. Thank you for all you do on behalf of family life.

The word of God describes St. Paul’s first missionary journey through the country we know as Turkey. Paul and Barnabas first told the Jews the good news: Jesus Christ is gloriously alive and because He lives, we live forever.  This good news outraged some in the synagogue.
Then Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the Gospel to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. God gifted these people with faith in Jesus. They repented, were baptized and focused their lives on God.

This Easter season, we have been meeting different biblical personalities.

Today we meet Paul, also known by his Jewish name, Saul. Born in Tarsus, southeast Turkey, he was well educated in Judaism and Greco-Roman philosophy. He was by trade a tent-maker. But he was a rabid persecutor of Christians.

Suddenly, enroute to Damascus, Paul was struck by an amazing visionary experience of Jesus, gloriously alive. This turned Paul’s life upside down. He became one of the greatest evangelizers: established Christian faith communities, authored letters shaping the history of Christian thought, and eventually was beheaded by order of the emperor Nero.

Paul and the apostles lived and died for their communities. Our response is gratitude to God for our community, which gives a virtuous purpose to our lives. A few good reasons why I’m grateful:

 We are a worldwide community, a diverse family that celebrates the presence of the living Christ in our liturgies and especially in our Eucharist. Yes, the triune God abides in us, and we abide in God.

We are people of the good news, servants of God’s people. My favorite image of the Church is Peter’s fishing boat. We’re on a journey, with a map, stormy weather, people slipping overboard, survivors, mutinies, sometimes off course, attacked. And a boat of course needs a captain: if everybody grabs the wheel, we’re all in trouble.

 We are a community with splendid heroes. Consider the litany of saints. These men and women lived the beatitudes. They recognized who they are (creatures of an all-mighty Creator); they sought God in their daily lives. They were peacemakers, bridge-builders.

We are a community moved to serve the basic needs of the poor. Think of Jesus’s many examples and teachings, for example Matthew chapter 25. Yes, we are the mystical body of Christ attempting to meet people’s needs.

Alas we are also a community of saints and sinners. Some people behave scandalously; they make a mess out of their lives and the lives of others  So, we have to muddle through as best we can and stay true to Jesus who is our way, our truth and our life.

The word of God, for example the Acts with its narrative about the missionary journeys of Paul, prompts us to thank God for the heroes and heroines before us, and for the faith community to which we belong. Yes, be grateful and confident, and invite others to the spiritual resources, the “living waters” of this faith-filled community of service.

Becoming Our Best Self

Burnand's  The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Tomb

On Thursday, we celebrated the National Day of Prayer.  Rabbi Goldstein, who was wounded at the California synagogue that was recently attacked, shared a message: when we are faced with the darkness of evil, we must counter the darkness with light. The Rabbi pointed to the power of prayer to grow in the light of goodness.

In the Book of Acts, the Sanhedrin or the Jewish supreme court, so to speak, wants the disciples of Jesus to stop proclaiming the good news. But Peter and the other disciples boldly state that they will obey God. God, Peter declares, exalted the crucified Jesus. He is alive, risen, and among us.

The book of Revelation describes a visionary, mystical, heavenly experience in which countless creatures cry out that Jesus, the Lamb slain for us, is worthy to receive power and riches, wisdom and honor, and glory and blessing. The author may be asking us, do we know our purpose in life: to be in relationship with God forever:God abiding in us and we abiding in God.  What an incredible gift to us.

The Gospel highlights a post-resurrection experience at the Galilee shore. Jesus tells the disciples, who had been fishing all night and caught nothing, to cast their nets again. Lo and behold, they make a huge catch. John recognizes the Lord.  So too does Peter, who only recently denied he knew Jesus but then wept bitterly and begged forgiveness for his betrayal.

Peter, aka Simon, became the leader or rock among the disciples,betrayed Jesus three times,  witnessed his resurrection, shouted from the rooftop in Jerusalem that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, worked signs and wonders, evangelized throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and eventually was martyred in Rome in the 60s. Two New Testament letters are attributed to Peter.

Although Peter often appears impetuous, he always was ready to admit a mistake, to make amends. In the end, Peter became someone you could trust, a man of character. As someone said, “The true measure of character is what you do when nobody’s watching.” Within all of us, there is a tension to choose our better or our worse selves. Catholic Christianity calls this “original sin” or “the fall from grace.”

Many try to explain why people behave the way they do. I prefer to emphasize an informed conscience. Conscience is associated with our feelings—we sometimes feel guilty about things we do or don’t do—yet conscience is more than feelings. Conscience is a power of judgment, our moral compass, so to speak, about the goodness or badness of our behavior and attitudes. Our conscience is a friendly guide in our quest for fulfillment as authentic human beings.

Men and women of character try to be true to their inner best selves: to take a stand on principle and conscience—yes, an informed conscience.

Finally, I like to think that the quality of our life and our soul's destiny will be measured by our character: going the extra mile to help someone in need; living up to our promises; working for the common good; trusting always in a good and compassionate God who is ever near to us and will will bring us into eternal life.