Catholic Exchange » Homily of the Day

Peter’s Redemption

Food For Thought — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:00:48 +0000

This Gospel is a very important moment in the life of St. Peter, the
first among the apostles of Jesus. We know that Jesus appointed Peter
to be the head of the Church with power to forgive sins, heal the sick
and preach the Good News of the Resurrection. Yet, this was the same
Peter who, during the Passion, denied being a follower of Jesus
because of his fear of physical harm. In other words, he was a coward.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus turns to Peter and asks him three times if he
loves him. Peter understood that Jesus was giving him a second chance,
that Jesus had forgiven him and was re-commissioning him to take care
of his flock. He understood that Jesus loved him immensely and
continued to have faith in him. So Peter was so touched by this and
responded by saying that he loved Jesus. This is a poignant and
emotional scene, and Peter must have answered Jesus with his voice
breaking with emotion.

Jesus is also asking you, “Do you love me?” If you say yes, make sure
you are saying yes not as a super-good or super-upright person but as
a weak and sinful man who nevertheless has experienced the forgiveness
of Jesus as Peter did. Then hopefully we will also have the privilege
to hear Jesus say to us as he said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”

Father, look out for them.

Food For Thought — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:00:22 +0000

Jesus prays to God for strength and unity among his disciples. He
knows that he is about to leave the world to return to the Father, so
he asks that his apostles receive the same gifts he had been given so
that they can continue his mission.

If the reader were to go through the whole chapter, he would notice the repetitiveness of
the message and intentions: “Father, my work is nearly done. Please be
with my friends; protect them and love them as you have loved me.”

It is a heartbreaking prayer for someone who knows his end is near.
And as he also knows what each of his disciples will endure in pursuit
of their vocation, he must have agonized even more. It is very human
to want bad things to happen to one’s self instead of watching loved
ones bear them. This very emphatic prayer gives us a glimpse of how
intimate the bond between Jesus and his apostles is. It is both
painful and beautiful: ultimately, he obeys his Father to be the
world’s Sacrificial Lamb.

In all of his divinity, Jesus could only do as much as suffer and die
for us. He cannot dictate upon our free will to ensure that we all
enter God’s kingdom. Thus, he repeatedly pleaded for God to understand
us, “to be one with us.”

The Call to Christ

Food For Thought — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:00:16 +0000

Do you know what your aim or mission in life is? Jesus’ aim and mission was to glorify his heavenly Father. All he said and did gave glory to his Father. On the eve of his sacrifice and in the presence of his disciples, Jesus made his high priestly prayer: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that they may be one as we are one”. Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples. Jesus’ prayer for his people is that we be united with God the Father in his Son and through his Holy Spirit and be joined together, in unity with all who are members of Christ’s body. Jesus saw glory in the cross rather than shame. Obedience to his Father’s will was his glory. Jesus kept his Father’s word even when tempted to forgo the cross. His strength was not in himself but in his Father who kept him. We, too, must take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus whenever he may call us. He will give us the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to live as his disciples. John Henry Newman wrote: “God has created me, to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission– I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be thrown away.” Do you trust in God and in his call for your life?

Jesus prayed that his disciples would be sanctified and consecrated in God’s truth and holiness. The scriptural word for consecration comes from the same Hebrew word which means holy or set apart for God. This word also means to be equipped with the qualities of mind and heart and character for such a task or service. Just as Jesus was called by the Father to serve in holiness and truth, so we, too, are called and equipped for the task of serving God in the world as his ambassadors. God’s truth frees us from ignorance and the deception of sin. It reveals to us God’s goodness, love, and wisdom. And it gives us a thirst for God’s holiness. The Holy Spirit is the source and giver of all holiness. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, he transforms us by his purifying fire and changes us in the likeness of Christ. Is your life consecrated to God?

Reflection written by Don Schwager of www.rc.net

True followers of Christ

Food For Thought — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:00:13 +0000

In both scripture readings today, there is a pattern of life that is
clearly laid out for us. We need to accept the fullness of Jesus
Christ. We need to live and preach the fullness of Jesus Christ. Part
of the fullness of Jesus Christ is his suffering, and we need to
accept that.

In the first reading, St. Paul says, “It does not matter because life
does not matter to me anymore. All that matters is that I can finish
the task which God gave me and remain faithful to the Lord.” For
someone who truly believes, that is really all that matters, because
death is life.

If we are going to be true followers of Christ, it is not enough to
look at the cross from a distance and say, “I believe that Jesus did
that.” We have to go much deeper. Satan knows that Jesus died on the
cross. Satan knows that Jesus is God. Satan knows what the truths are,
but he rejected them and he did not live them. It is not enough to
believe in certain truths, but rather we must embrace the life and
mission of Jesus Christ. If we do this, then we know that we are going
to walk the same path as Jesus, St. Paul and all the other saints.
That means to be glorified with him in this world in order to be
glorified with him in the next, to be united with him on his cross so
that we can be united with him in his exaltation in heaven. That is
what this is all about.

Be brave

Food For Thought — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:00:03 +0000

Water is a very familiar cleansing agent used very commonly in washing
rituals in most oriental religions. It was also used during the time
of John the Baptist, referred to by St. Paul as the baptism of
repentance. However, in our sacred Christian tradition water
symbolizes the new life in Christ through sacramental baptism.

While symbols may portray a higher reality, we would still need a
transforming experience of the Holy Spirit. It would be this
experience that would help us recognize the Holy Spirit initially
encountered in the sacraments. That is why development is an on-going
process, a re-creative process making us new and whole again.

Today, we see renewal movements like Focolare, marriage encounter,
Neocatechumenate, family advocacy groups, Life in the Spirit Seminars,
silent retreats, etc. These movements help people experience the Holy
Spirit resulting in positive changes in their lives.

When asked if they received the Holy Spirit when they became
believers, the disciples in Ephesus answered, “No, we were never even
told there was such a thing as Holy Spirit.” That’s because it is only
through Jesus that the Holy Spirit can come to us.

The relationship aspect with God which Christ came to restore in
humankind is precisely that relationship shared by the Holy Trinity as
community. The Holy Spirit is the bond of love that exists to confer
the gift of peace which Jesus does to his followers. We can only have
peace if we truly seek it in the Holy Spirit but it does not come
easy. Jesus, however, assures us: “Be brave. I have conquered the
world.”

Be not of this world

Food For Thought — Sun, 20 May 2012 05:00:25 +0000

We know that there is evil in the world. Just look around and see the
state of our country. You won’t miss the marks of poverty caused by
corruption and greed. There’s desperation, lack of education and
extreme destitution. What makes this scenario even worse is the apathy
of those, including ourselves, who are too caught up in their/our own
lives. It seems the plight of the rest of the country is too much of a
burden for us to take on. Or is it because we couldn’t care less
because it’s not something that affects us directly?

An email was once circulated telling a story of how Satan found the
best way to infiltrate humanity. He gave up on blatant temptation
because that was passé (and way too obvious). Instead, he chose
something quite creative. Rather than leading humanity to apparent
evil, he decided to bring too much work into our lives, work that will
make us too busy to spend time with our loved ones, too busy to be of
help to others, too busy to live our own lives, and of course the
clincher, too busy to pray to the Lord.

The sad thing about this is that we do not recognize his evil plans
because we believe that we are busy for noble reasons. But what
happens is that we lose valuable time which we can never take back. We
also lose the all-important connection not just with our families but
especially with the Lord through people who need our help.

If we find ourselves in this trap, it isn’t easy to bail out
especially when we have so many responsibilities riding on our
shoulders. If we take to heart, however, what Jesus has said, “It is
more blessed to give than to receive,” we can channel our business
elsewhere. Think instead of what we can give to our family – time with
them might top their list. Think of what we can give to our neighbors.
Think of what we can give to our country. Then be happy that through
all this giving of ourselves, we have done something special for our
Lord.

Ask your Father

Food For Thought — Sat, 19 May 2012 05:00:50 +0000

Do you pray with confidence to your heavenly Father? Jesus often taught his disciples by way of illustration or parable. Here he speaks not in “figures” (the same word used for parables), but in plain speech. Jesus revealed to them the hidden treasure of the heavenly kingdom and he taught them how to pray to the Father in his name. Now Jesus opens his heart and speaks in the plainest of language: ”The Father himself loves you!” How can the disciples be certain of this? Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes it possible for his disciples to have a new relationship with God as their Father. No one would have dared to call God his Father before this! Because of what Jesus has done for us in offering his life for our redemption we now have a new relationship as the adopted children of God. Paul the Apostles says that “when we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:15- 16). We can boldly approach God as our Father and ask him for the things we need. In love he bids us to draw near to his throne of grace and mercy. Do you approach the Father with confidence in his love and with expectant faith in his promise to hear your prayers?

Reflection written by Don Schwager of www.rc.net

God’s Love

Food For Thought — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00:08 +0000

In the first reading, St. Paul encounters persecution from the Jews
for preaching the Good News. But God protects him from any harm and he
is able to escape from his enemies.

The life of a Christian is not without trials, difficulties and
tribulations. Sometimes we have to suffer for doing what is right. God
invites us to be steadfast and to stand firm, for He will be there to
help us. God always protects His missionaries, His preachers and His
priests. So we must have faith in Him and not be afraid.

The Gospel also tells us that we will experience much sorrow in this
world, but this sorrow will be turned into joy. God always gives His
most ardent followers more trials than the others. All of us have a
mission – to carry in our bodies the dying of Jesus so that in us may
appear his resurrection. That is when our sorrow will be turned into
joy. Since we are called to save people from their wrongdoings,
immoral thinking, selfish attitudes, etc., we will surely encounter
much resistance from them. But if we hold on till the end, the fruits
of our labor will be in their conversion to God. Jesus said before he
ascended into heaven, “I will always be with you, until the end of the
world.” This promise is what emboldens the disciple of Christ to keep
on doing good to others. He has the guarantee of our Lord’s help and
protection.

Rejoice

Food For Thought — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00:01 +0000

Earlier our Lord consoled the disciples by assuring them that He would

send them the Holy Spirit after He went away (verse 7). Now He gives them fur-

ther consolation: He is not leaving them permanently, He will come back to stay

with them. However, the Apostles fail to grasp what He means, and they ask

each other what they make of it. Our Lord does not give them a direct explanation,

perhaps because they would not understand what He meant (as happened before:

cf. Matthew 16:21-23 and paragraph). But He does emphasize that though they

are sad now they will soon be rejoicing: after suffering tribulation they will be filled

with a joy they will never lose (cf. John 17:13). This is a reference primarily to the

Resurrection (cf. Luke 24:41), but also to their definitive encounter with Christ in

Heaven.

Can you handle the Truth?

Food For Thought — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:05 +0000

What would you give to know all truth! Truth, however, is not something we create nor is it our discovery. It is the gift of God who is the possessor and the giver of all truth. Jesus tells his disciples that it is the role of the Holy Spirit to reveal what is true. How can this be? Skeptics of truth don’t want to believe in an absolute Truth. If truth is objective then it must be submitted to as authoritative. Some fear the truth because they think it will inhibit their freedom. Jesus told his disciples that the truth will set you free (John 8:32).The truth liberates us from doubts, illusions, and fears. Since God is the source of all truth, then the closer we draw to him and listen to his word, the more we grow in the knowledge of him and of his great love and wisdom for us. Jesus told his disciples that he would send them the Spirit of truth who will announce to you the things to come. Through the Holy Spirit, we proclaim our ancient faith in the saving death and resurrection of Christ until he comes again. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit as our divine Teacher and Helper that we may grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. Do you seek the wisdom that comes from above and do you willingly obey God’s word?

Reflection written by Don Schwager of www.rc.net