Easter Sunday 1, 2, 3 . . . 2018 (Year B)

April 1^st 2018 – Easter Sunday Gospel: John 20:1-9

For as yet they did not understand . . .

Today we celebrate the highpoint of the Christian calendar, Easter. The Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalen is the first witness to the Resurrection. ‘It was still dark . . .’ when Mary went to the tomb but it was also the ‘first day of the week’, a new beginning. We might recall those situations in our lives which seemed so dark, where we felt that there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

Whatever our ‘death’ experiences may be, we revisit them, going to the tomb as usual. And then we realise that something has changed, the stone has rolled away. Let the stone and linen wrappings in this text today represent all that keeps us from being free; all that keeps us captive, emotionally, physically, spiritually, in our broken relationships and struggling communities. However big that stone appears to be our faith in the resurrection of Jesus tells us that this stone can be moved. Think of all the situations in our world which need transformation, the homelessness crisis, the violence on our streets, our own sorrow. The Easter Gospel shows us that these situations can be transformed, even though it is often a painful journey. Once we experience the resurrection we are called to radical change and to share this transformative joy with others.

“Jesus you are with us. Keep us ever mindful of how you are a part of our lives in a deep and profound way. Surprise us with a touch of your love in places where we never thought that we would find you.” (Joyce Rupp)

April 8^th – 2^nd Sunday of Easter: Gospel: John 20:19-31

We do not come through suffering and difficult times unscarred. We are changed by them. Often it brings some sort of growth into our lives and usually it is not a pleasant experience. Today’s Gospel shows us that even in those difficult times, faith can be transformative. Jesus came and stood amongst the disciples even though the doors were firmly closed. The peace that he gives them (Shalom) is a peace of body, of mind and of spirit and it moves the disciples from despair and being ‘lock away’ to ‘rejoicing’. Jesus then asks the disciples to be an unending witness to God’s love. They, and we, must be for others what Jesus has been for them. The Risen Jesus is active in all our lives and in the world around us, but we must be careful not to close ourselves off or let fear take over. It is not easy as we often meet cynicism and doubting. Yet, John tells us that he writes these things so that we may come to believe and have life; reminding us of the importance of the Word of God for our lives. Through the Word we come to know Jesus more deeply and can experience this Peace that he offers us.

“For even if the whole world believed in resurrection, little would change until we began to practice it. We can believe in CPR, but people will remain dead until someone breathes new life into them.” Shane  Claiborne

April 15^th 3^rd Sunday of Easter Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

“You are Witnesses of these things”

Today’s Gospel is one of the resurrection accounts from St. Luke’s Gospel. It begins with the disciples recalling their experience on the road to Emmaus and how they recognised Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The Gospel continues into another account of the Risen Jesus with his disciples. Jesus interrupts the disciple’s story and greets them with “Peace” (Shalom) yet, in this account, they are terrified by this. Jesus shows them his wounds and Luke tells us that they are full of joy, but they still can’t believe it and think it is a ghost. Jesus shows them that he is no ghost as he asks for food and eats fish with them. Jesus then journeys with them back through the scriptures in order to open their minds. He speaks to them compassionately.

Jesus tells the disciples that ‘you are witnesses of these things’. Luke wants to establish an important point, that these disciples are witnesses to the Resurrection, they ate with Jesus after his death and he opened their minds. The Resurrection accounts in the Gospels are not fantasy, they are the actual experiences of Jesus’ disciples. Our Easter faith is based on their testimony. Once Jesus has opened their minds to understand the scriptures he tells them to go out and preach it in His name.  

“Every year the dull and dead in us meets our Easter challenge: to be open to the unexpected, to believe beyond our security, to welcome God in every form, and trust in our own greening.” (Joyce Rupp)

"Come and have breakfast" ~ Reflection for Sunday 10th April 2016

During these Easter weeks we read from St. John’s Gospel. The passages are very deep and in today’s text (Jn 21:1-19) there are many things going on. Perhaps we might focus on Peter and the journey he has made:

We all have experience of friendships and relationships that break down. When that happens it feels like a death - we grieve, we get angry, we have regrets, we wonder ‘what if..?’ Three times Peter denied Jesus and today we hear Peter express his love for Jesus three times. Jesus welcomes Peter back into community with him. Peter experiences resurrection; he is given new life. There is no situation, no matter how terrible, that Jesus cannot transform, forgive, welcome back, restore. Peter says to Jesus – ‘Lord you know everything’ and we too must remember that Jesus knows our hearts, He knew Peter’s heart. The questioning here is perhaps so that Peter can hear it for himself. The relationship is restored and we, like Peter, are once more invited in to “Follow me!”

“Lord, we thank you for people who have forgiven us, not a mean, calculating forgiveness, not harping on the ways in which we wronged them, but forgiving with the forgiveness of Jesus, so that it was like coming back from a hard night’s work, and seeing some bread there and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it and the very person we had hurt saying, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ And we not having to ask any questions because we knew that everything was forgiven.” (Michel de Verteuil)

Some Good Friday Thoughts...

The story of the suffering and death of Jesus and the religious

services that go with Good Friday are perceived, by the majority of people in Ireland today, far removed from everyday life. This year, for the first time ever I think, I have been quite removed from the liturgical mayhem involved in celebrating the most important feasts of the Church’s year. This is due to an accident I had a few weeks back which has left me incapacitated for the next few weeks. So, while sitting at home all day instead of the usual marathon session in the parish, I have been asking myself what these three days mean to the rest of the world. You could say, I’ve been having a ‘what’s it all about Ted’ sort of day. Apparently we now live in ‘secular’ Ireland; rescued and saved from the mad Christians. Social media feeds today declared all those still participating in the ‘mad rituals’ ‘out of touch’ but comforted the population by assuring them that we [the mad Christians] would soon be extinct.

I thought I’d read the newspaper to get away from Facebook but Atheist Ireland are mightily peed off in there due to the pubs being closed; this is a terrible "affront to non-believers”. And while they probably have a point where the pubs are concerned, I could not help thinking that a national day of non-drinking probably would not do us any harm; A national ‘non-commercial day’ even or a ‘publican’s day off’. “The Good Friday ban is just one annual note in the constant background noise of religious interference in our public life” (Irish Indo).

In an effort to salvage some sort of prayer during the day, I tuned into Pray as you Go. The words ‘I thirst’ jumped out at me.

I was thrown back to Malawi, where I visited in January, and I recalled the amazing and wonderful people I met in a tiny village in the Dedza region. They thirst every day. The water they use to quench their thirst makes them sick. They walk hours every day to get that water.

Their children are constantly ill and missing school days frequently. In the next 6 years rain-fed agriculture in that region will drop by 50% due to climate change. HIV/AIDS cause further problems and heartache for many in this village.

During the day I was also drawn back to the article about the ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue. This statue, sculpted by Timothy Schmalz to bring attention to the chronic problem of homelessness in Toronto, depicts a homeless person on a bench, covered in a blanket. However, on closer inspection there is a noticeable characteristic: the person bears the wounds of crucifixion on his feet. This is Jesus, the homeless wandering preacher, asleep on a bench outside your house, outside your church.

St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto were initially enthusiastic in having the sculpture outside their doors but after some reflection decided against it. Parishioners found it ‘offensive’; how could someone do this to their image of God? It was too ‘provocative’ and ‘not an appropriate image’. But it is real. What on earth are they talking about?

People are crucified in this world every day. Jesus shows us from the cross that suffering is very real: while we tend to focus in on the physical suffering, there was intense emotional suffering also. One wouldn’t blame Jesus if he was relieved that this public ministry episode was coming to an end. After all, it had been an epic failure up until this point and he was betrayed and let down by his closest friends in the end. How many of us have not suffered this disappointment or heartache of any kind?

Good Friday is not the end of the story. Nor is it some archaic set of rituals that have nothing to say to the world today. We can participate in services of all kinds today (some will be better than others) but we are constantly being called to the Good News, the HOPELANDIC news. (Like those who hope that the pubs open tomorrow and have a promise that they will). For Christians around the world a celebration is coming and it has a lot to tell us about our lives and the world that we live in. All things are possible.

I think about that small village in Malawi and I know that there is hope.

This is the bore well that was installed by Trocaire which is providing water to hundreds of people; clean water; water that has not made anyone sick in months; that has kept a lot of children sick free and in school. That well was made possible through the people who donate to Trocaire each year. As Mandy Meade notes: ‘Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world’.

I was also thinking about the irrigation system in a village we visited one day in Malawi. Installed through Trocaire’s partners in Malawi this irrigation system has turned one community from ‘I THIRST’ into a community with two harvests a year. Water flows

from the mountains three kilometres away into 28 plots of land bringing crops, feeding a fish farm, and saving the people from the annual ‘hungry season’. We see the crucifixion story in the famine and drought; but we are also called to see something greater; to be something bigger; to cause TRANSFORMATION.

The ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue also has found a home; a place where Christians are not afraid to look homeless Jesus in the eye and say – ‘this oppression; this homelessness: “It is finished”. The sculptor has even been commissioned by many parishes in the USA to bring ‘Homeless Jesus’ to their doorsteps.

These three days of the Easter Triduum are the stories of all our lives, whether we want to engage with it or not. They show the world the reality of suffering but also shine a beacon towards hope, resurrection, transformation, and change of the most unimaginable kind.

Palm Sunday ~ April 1st 2012

This is the last instalment of Something Different for Lent. We hope this DIY retreat has helped you to find some space during your day for yourself and perhaps it has helped you to pray & reflect. Today, Palm Sunday, we wave and bless Palm Branches. They are a symbol of rejoicing and welcoming. In Pre-Christian times, Palms were a symbol of triumph. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem this Palm Sunday reminds us of the humility of Jesus’ earthly life, from beginning to end.

Suggestions for the week
Sacred Space:
You may have created a sacred space in your home for prayer during this Lenten retreat. Consider that space now:
• Can you continue to use it as part of daily prayer, especially during Holy Week but also after Easter?
• Has it changed over the course of this Lenten journey?
• Is there a symbol, a reflection, a word/phrase that has stood out for you over the past 6 weeks? What is it? Why is it significant for you?
• Perhaps you can place a palm branch in that space to symbolise the beginning of our journey into Holy Week.
Breathing Exercises: Focus on your breathing for a few minutes. Take three deep slow breaths, then focus on your normal breathing. Do this for as long as you can. This is the breath of life. Thank God for this gift. Repeat the following:
“Be. Be Still. Be still and know.
Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Gospel Reflection: Mark 14:1 – 15:7
This Sunday’s Gospel is often known as ‘the long Gospel’. Don’t let that put you off otherwise you miss the journey that this week offers you. Try to read the Gospel, or part of it, this week.
• We hold up our palms singing “Hosanna, Hosanna” as we prepare to follow Jesus into Holy Week. How can this be a personal ‘moment of opportunity’ for us too?
• What does it actually mean to be a follower of Jesus? What does this challenge us to do?

Holy Week:
Monday ~ Reflect on the story of the Passion (Mark 14:1-15:7). There are so many characters in this story: disciples, friends, and betrayers. We can recognise bits of ourselves in each of them. Place yourself in the story. Be honest with yourself and think about what you would have done as one of Jesus’ followers.
Tuesday ~ Wear or carry a small cross in your pocket today as a reminder of God’s great love for you.

Wednesday ~ Make a small sacrifice for someone today.

Holy Thursday ~ What did you hope to achieve and experience this Lenten season? What steps can you take today to bring yourself closer to that goal? Tonight is the start of the Triduum (the period of three days that recalls Jesus’ death & resurrection). Mass of our Lord’s Supper takes places @ 7pm followed by adoration until 10pm for those who wish to stay.

Good Friday ~ When you make the sign of the cross today, remember it is a special sign of the victory of Christ’s love for you. The Passion of our Lord @ 3pm. Stations of the cross in the Phoenix Park @ 12noon, starts at Wellington monument.

Holy Saturday ~ Tonight, light a candle as a symbol of Christ’s light in your life. If possible light this candle during your prayer time in the Easter season. The Easter Vigil, the biggest celebration of the Church’s year, takes places @ 7pm.

Easter Sunday ~ New life! Is there a change you want to make in your life? Write a brief note to yourself as a reminder of this day of transformation. And, enjoy the chocolate!!

Thought for the week:
“On the Sunday before the feast known now as Palm Sunday, the Roman Governor, Pilate, rode into Jerusalem seated on his magnificent horse, along with a large garrison of cavalry and foot soldiers. People would have come out to witness the pageantry of it: thousands of soldiers with weapons, the beating of drums… On Palm Sunday, Jesus also entered Jerusalem, from the other side of the city, seated on a donkey. This was not a coincidence; this procession was planned in advance and carefully thought out. The reign of Jesus was to be a reign of peace that would banish chariots…Jesus intended his procession – which today would be called a ‘counter-demonstration’ – to contrast the two reigns, the Reign of God and the reign of Caesar, two very different visions of life on earth. ” Peter McVerry, SJ