Sunday, April 26, 2015

Gospel for Today - 4th Sunday of Easter

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

"I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep." - Jn 10:14-15

Many of my students know that I keep a small flock of Soay sheep; a rare breed of primitive domestic sheep from the St. Kilda islands in the north Atlantic.  Yesterday I was celebrating the end of the semester with a cook out for my students at my home.  They always enjoy being able to spend time with my family and see the livestock on my little smallholding.  One student asked me yesterday if being a shepherd made me feel like Jesus.  The answer is usually not, because I am certain my little flock is much easier to care for than the people of God!  But keeping sheep does give me an appreciation of the meaning behind Jesus' words when He calls Himself the good shepherd, and us His sheep.

Early during our gathering yesterday, while I was cooking at the grill, I saw a group of students hanging out by the pasture gate, admiring the animals.  All the sheep were in the far corner of the pasture, eyeing the strange crowd suspiciously.  Later in the afternoon I walked out to the pasture with just one student who wanted to see the new lambs.  This time, instead of keeping their distance, the sheep all lined up and walked toward me.  Why the different reaction?  The answer is simple.  My sheep know me.  They know I am the one who cares for them.  In other words, they trust me.  And because of that, they follow me.  

Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me."  As members of His flock, we are to trust and follow our shepherd.  People often are described as sheep in a negative way; as dumb animals who are easily led and will follow the crowd.  It is true that sheep prefer to stay in a herd, an individual generally following the group.  But in terms of following a shepherd, sheep will only follow one that they trust.  Do you trust Jesus enough to follow Him?  Or are you following some other shepherd?

Jesus also speaks of wolves coming in and scattering the sheep.   There are many other voices out there calling for our attention besides that of Christ the Good Shepherd.  There are plenty of false gods left to worship.  We worship power.  We worship money. We worship sex.  We worship pleasure.  We worship comfort.  Most of all, we worship ourselves.  Any of these things can easily draw us away from God if we allow them to.  One definition of idolatry is valuing a created thing above the Creator.  This is what is sinful about allowing anything -- even a good thing -- to have a place in our lives higher than God.  It is disordered to love a lesser good above the highest good.  

The truth is, as St. Peter reminds us in today's first reading (Acts 4:8-12), "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."  Other things in this world may offer us power or pleasure or fame or comfort or wealth or any number of other good things.  But only Jesus can offer us life.  Only Jesus can offer us forgiveness and mercy.  Only Jesus can lead us to perfection and holiness.  "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 Jn 3:2).  

So do not run after these other gods.  Do not follow these other shepherds.  There is but one Good Shepherd who has true love and concern for His flock.  He will lead us to where we need to go.  We simply need to learn to recognize His voice and then trust Him enough to follow Him.  We can hear our Shepherd's voice through the Church, as Christ has given us shepherds in His name, as He told Peter after the Resurrection, "Feed my sheep" (Jn 21:17).  We can hear our Shepherd's voice in the scriptures.  We can hear His voice through our prayer.  Once we come to know and love Christ, we will follow when we hear His voice -- not cautiously or hesitantly, but with trust and love.

Christ is the Good Shepherd.  He knows us, His sheep.  May we always strive to know Him, our shepherd, and never hesitate to trust in His loving care for us.

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Gospel For Today: 3rd Sunday of Easter

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)

"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things."

This is the conclusion of our gospel reading for today, from Luke 24:35-48.  This, followed by His promise to send the Holy Spirit, are the last words Luke records Jesus saying to the disciples before His Ascension.  This is the meaning of Easter.  This is what it has all been for.  Why did Christ have to suffer and die, and then rise from the dead?  Jesus gives us the answer: so that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name.

And not only preached, but actuated.  We saw last week how Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into the Apostles saying, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20:23).  Thus the authority to convey Christ's forgiveness to those who repent and confess their sins is given to the Church.  But how are people to know to confess their sins?  How are we brought to repentance?  We need to be told and instructed, so Jesus commands His followers to witness to these things, to go tell the world.  We have examples today of two Apostles, Peter and John, doing just that.  Peter, in the first reading from Acts preaches about how the death and resurrection of the Christ was foretold in the scriptures, and ends his homily with the command to "repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away" (Acts 3:17-19).

Some today wish to believe that Jesus' death and resurrection means automatic forgiveness of sins for everyone, with nothing left to do on our part.  Hell, in this view, is an empty place (if it even exists at all).  All are saved by Christ, no exceptions. Still more, though they may not profess universal salvation, conduct their lives as if it were true.  "Jesus died for me and there is nothing else I need to do."  And so they don't go to Confession, to Mass, read the scriptures, pray, attempt to avoid sin, or make any effort to know God at all.

Those who believe this way are partly correct.  Jesus did die for all.  And there is nothing you or I can do to save ourselves.  We must rely totally on Christ if we are to be redeemed.  The work is His, not ours.  But the Catholic Church does not teach universal salvation.  The reason is summed up in a statement by St. Augustine: "God created us without us: but He did not will to save us without us."  This line from one of his sermons is quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which then immediately reminds us, "To receive His mercy, we must admit our faults" (CCC 1847).

We cannot forget that God is love.  We may think the most loving thing to do would be to universally save all mankind and make it impossible for anyone to go to Hell.  But that is not what love is.  Love does not force anyone into a relationship.  Love beckons and invites.  Love desires to be freely loved back.  Love wants to be in relationship with the beloved.  Heaven is nothing more than eternal union with God.  Hell is nothing less than eternal separation from God.  Our eternal destiny is determined by our relationship with the Creator.  Do we choose to be in relationship with Him or not?  That choice is made by us and by our actions in this life.

Our relationship with God is broken by sin, which originates in the human heart.  Our relationship with God is healed by forgiveness, which originates in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This is why St. Peter tells us in today's first reading to "repent" and "be converted."  To repent means to turn around, to change our minds.  We have to change our minds about our sins, turn away from them and back toward God.  To be converted literally means to be transformed.  When we repent from our sins and accept God's gift of forgiveness we are transformed into a new creation -- we become the person God made us to be.  But we do not transform ourselves.  We are converted by God, which can only happen when we turn away from sin and turn toward God.  Thinking we can transform ourselves into holy people is prideful.  Pride is the primordial sin, which is why humility is such an important aspect of growing in holiness.

John also gives witness to the need to repent and accept Jesus' forgiveness of sins in his letter from today's second reading (1 Jn 2:1-5a).  He writes of the importance of not only believing in God, but in living our lives in accordance with His will.  "The way we may be sure that we know Him is to keep His commandments," he writes.  "Those who say, 'I know Him,' but do not keep His commandments are liars and the truth is not in them."

While stressing the importance of keeping the commandments, John does not condemn those who fall into sin.  "My children," he writes, "I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one."  Our sins separate us from God; Jesus offers us reconciliation.  

Both Peter and John give us the continuation of the Easter message.  This is what Easter was for.  This is what you should do about it.  Repent and be converted.  

Practically speaking, what does this mean? 
  • Become aware of your sins.  Most likely, you know the "biggies" that are weighing on your conscience.  Study the moral teachings of the Church to help you identify other areas of your life that are at odds with the love of God.  Firmly resolve, with Jesus' help, to avoid those sins in the future.
  • Return to the sacraments.  If you have been away from Mass and/or Confession for a while, the best time to return is today.  Right now.  If you don't know what to do, just tell the priest you want to confess but you are not sure how.  He'll gladly walk you through it and rejoice with you in your forgiveness.
  • Don't dwell on your sins!  You've repented and been forgiven, so don't give your past sins any more power over you by dwelling on them.  You are not that sinful person any longer, you are a new creation.
  • Build a relationship with God.  That's why Jesus died for you, and why you repented from your sins -- to restore your relationship with God.  Start working on that relationship today.  Pray.  Every day.  It doesn't have to be long or complex.  Just a few minutes each day to lift your mind and heart to God.  You just have to do it.  Get to know Him more by reading His Word.  One easy way to start is by following this link to today's readings on the USCCB web site.  At the bottom of the page you can subscribe to start receiving the daily Mass readings in your email each day.  Spend time getting to know the scriptures.
  • Finally, and most importantly, allow God to do His work in your life.  He wants to change you for the better, but change can be difficult.  Sometimes it can hurt.  Our human instinct is all too often to fight against it.  Don't do this!  Satan wants you to stay as you are, but God wants you to be so much more.  He's willing to do the heavy lifting to transform you into a saint, but you have to let Him do it.  Giving yourself over to God's will can be frightening, but remember that everything God wants to do for you is good.  There is no need to be afraid.  Give God permission to work in your life.
Christ is Risen!  Turn away from your sins.  Turn towards the Risen Christ, and be transformed!



--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

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Sunday, April 12, 2015

Gospel For Today: 2nd Sunday of Easter

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (B) - SUNDAY OF DIVINE MERCY

In the Jubilee Year of 2000 Pope St. John Paul II declared the second Sunday of Easter to be celebrated each year as a feast to Jesus' Divine Mercy.  And now 15 years later, Pope Francis has declared another Jubilee Year -- a year devoted to Mercy, to be celebrated from Dec. 8, 2015 (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) to Nov. 20, 2016 (the feast of Christ the King).  In his very first Angelus address as Pope, Francis reminded us, "Let us not forget that God forgives, and God forgives always."  This extraordinary holy year is a needed reminder to the world of God's great and loving mercy that can be found in the Catholic Church.

Recently I had the pleasure of escorting several students on retreat, the theme of which was "Reasons Why."  Each student on retreat was asked to reflect on the reasons why they were Catholic.  For some a decision was made to become Catholic as an adult.  For those born into the Church the decision must still be made in adulthood to remain a Catholic.  Why make that choice?  What does the Church have to offer?

When the English writer G. K. Chesterton was asked why he became a Catholic, he famously answered, "To get my sins forgiven."  Chesterton had a way of getting to the heart of the matter.  Truly, if the Church is stripped down to its core, the only reason for its existence is to mediate God's mercy to sinners so that they (we) may be reconciled to Him.  That is it.

The whole drama of salvation history has been all about this.  God's covenant relationship with the people of Israel.  The Incarnation.  All the teachings of Jesus. His passion and death.  His glorious resurrection.  The establishment of the Church.  All this has been about one simple thing: reconciling man to God by means of His mercy.

In our gospel today the Risen Christ appears to the Apostles one week after that first Easter Sunday. They are locked away in a room, hiding in fear.  But Christ does not want them to be hidden.  He does not want them to be fearful.  So He gives them His peace.  And He sends them on a mission.

"Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you."  And when He had said this He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.  Whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20:21-23).  

And so Jesus, the Son of God and the only man possessing God's authority to forgive sins, passes that authority on to the first leaders of the Church; an authority subsequently passed on to every priest and bishop from that time to this.  This is the origin of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or what is commonly called Confession.  We humble sinners come before the priest, that minister of mercy, to confess our sins.  The priest, not on his own authority but with the authority granted by Christ through the Holy Spirit, conveys God's forgiveness.  

Elsewhere in scripture St. Paul tells us:

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them.  And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:18-20).

God wants nothing more than to shower His mercy upon us, but because His mercy comes from love it cannot be forced.  It can only be accepted.  Each time we come to the confessional we accept God's gift of mercy.  Each time a soul comes back to the Church, God rejoices at the reconciliation.  This is why He established the Church -- to open wide the gates of His mercy.

Come through those gates.  Come into the Church, the "community of believers that is one one heart and mind" (Acts 4:32).  To be reconciled to God is to be reconciled to one another.  Mercy is the mission of the Church and mercy is the mission of all in the Church.  The priest is the ambassador of Christ sacramentally in the confessional.  But every Christian is an ambassador of Christ in the world, helping to spread the message of His mercy to all who need it.  To receive God's mercy is to become yourself a conduit of mercy for others.  Every time you forgive someone in your heart, you are doing God's work.  Every time you hold anger or hatred in your heart toward another, you are doing the work of Satan.  Do not allow bitterness and anger to gain a foothold in your life.  Be an ambassador of forgiveness.  Show mercy to others, and you will know God's mercy all the more.

Let us pray for an increase of mercy in the world and in our hearts, today on this day of Divine Mercy, during the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, and for all years to come.

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Sunday, April 5, 2015

Gospel For Today: Easter Sunday

EASTER SUNDAY


Rejoice!  Today the Easter Alleluias ring!  Christ is Risen!  As in our baptism we are joined to Christ's death and resurrection, we have been joined with Christ in death through our Lenten penance and now rise with Him in Easter joy.  Today our family celebrates the baptism of our son, Jasper, born into this world three weeks ago and born again today in Christ.  We rejoice with all who have been baptized in Christ this Easter, or in the past.  I present to you today the following excerpt from St. Augustine on the end of our Lenten fast and the Easter Alleluia.  Please join me today in praising the Lord!

Our thoughts in this present life should turn on the praise of God, because it is in praising God that we shall rejoice for ever in the life to come; and no one can be ready for the next life unless he trains himself for it now. So we praise God during our earthly life, and at the same time we make our petitions to him. Our praise is expressed with joy, our petitions with yearning. We have been promised something we do not yet possess, and because the promise was made by one who keeps his word, we trust him and are glad; but insofar as possession is delayed, we can only long and yearn for it. It is good for us to persevere in longing until we receive what was promised, and yearning is over; then praise alone will remain.
Because there are these two periods of time - the one that now is, beset with the trials and troubles of this life, and the other yet to come, a life of everlasting serenity and joy - we are given two liturgical seasons, one before Easter and the other after. The season before Easter signifies the troubles in which we live here and now, while the time after Easter which we are celebrating at present signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. What we commemorate before Easter is what we experience in this life; what we celebrate after Easter points to something we do not yet possess. This is why we keep the first season with fasting and prayer; but now the fast is over and we devote the present season to praise. Such is the meaning of the Alleluia we sing.
Both these periods are represented and demonstrated for us in Christ our head. The Lord's passion depicts for us our present life of trial - shows how we must suffer and be afflicted and finally die. The Lord's resurrection and glorification show us the life that will be given to us in the future.
Now therefore, brethren, we urge you to praise God. That is what we are all telling each other when we say Alleluia. You say to your neighbor, "Praise the Lord!" and he says the same to you. We are all urging one another to praise the Lord, and all thereby doing what each of us urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your whole being; in other words, see that you praise God not with your lips and voices alone, but with your minds, your lives and all your actions.
We are praising God now, assembled as we are here in church; but when we go on our various ways again, it seems as if we cease to praise God. But provided we do not cease to live a good life, we shall always be praising God. You cease to praise God only when you swerve from justice and from what is pleasing to God. If you never turn aside from the good life, your tongue may be silent but your actions will cry aloud, and God will perceive your intentions; for as our ears hear each other's voices, so do God's ears hear our thoughts.
--from St. Augustine of Hippo's discourses on the Psalms

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

at
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