Look at My Hands and Feet

“Look at my hands and feet, that it is I myself.” Luke 24:39

Jesus appeared to His disciples, and followers several times. It is plausible that He appeared many more times than what is written in the Gospels. After all, in John 21:25, John the disciple attests that Jesus did and said so much more than what was written down, that if everything was documented in detail, the whole world would have no room for all the books! 

In one of those occasions when Jesus showed Himself, He ate and drank with His followers, even showed His hands and feet. “Touch me,” He invited. He spent time with them to open their minds to understand the scriptures, from the writings of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. No wonder they overcame their fear and were ready to go forth and proclaim the Good News! Atheists claim that all the appearances of Jesus after His death were mere hallucinations. How could many have the same hallucination, and how could a figment of the imagination produce such stalwart and determined men and women willing to die to defend their faith? 

Jesus was single minded in His mission. He spent all that time after His death to commission His followers to “Go forth to the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” If we are His true believers, that is what we must do. Father, may we spend time to study Your Word so You can make it come alive in our hearts and we will have no choice but to share this good news! 

Easter People

“Were not our hearts burning inside us?” Luke 24:32

After the horrendous crucifixion on Good Friday, two of Jesus’ disciples walked to Emmaus. They were conversing and debating for much of what happened was confusing and dismaying to them. A stranger came and joined them. They did not know it was Jesus, and after they recounted what had happened with downcast spirits, Jesus admonished them, “Why do you find it so hard to believe all the prophets wrote in the scriptures? Wasn’t it all clearly prophesied by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His time of glory?” Then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the scriptures. I would have liked to be in on that conversation and take down notes! 

Jesus would have given them a view of our salvation history, God’s love for us, from the time of Adam, through to the time of Noah, Moses, Abraham, and King David to Jesus, the new Moses and the true son of Abraham and David. It is amazing how the Old Testament foreshadows the life and death of Jesus. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus would have told Cleopas and the other disciple some of these parallels. 

Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, and Isaac had to carry the wood upon which he would be sacrificed up Mount Moriah, God the Father gave His only beloved Son for atonement of our sins. Like Isaac, Jesus had to carry the wood of the sacrifice, His cross, up to Calvary. When Isaac asked his father, “What will we sacrifice?”, Abraham answered, “God will provide Himself the lamb.” Just as Abraham received his son back from a sentence of death three days after the command was given, because it was a three day journey to Moriah, so Jesus rises on the third day. There is so, so much in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Kings, etc. that have parallels in Jesus’ life! It is amazing!!!! 

In Christ, all God’s promises to Abraham, Moses and David are fulfilled. We now have a New Covenant and we can claim God’s promises for ourselves. Truly, if we realize how hard God worked and is working for us to be together with Him in His Kingdom, we will be humbled. Rejoice, Easter people, our King is risen! He is risen indeed!

Repent

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins…” Acts 2:38

This verse reminds me of a story my husband Luigi told me recently. I asked him if his family ever went out of town for Holy Week and he said he remembered when they spent the week in Coron. Luigi can’t recall how old he was, could be about 9-13 years old. His mother told him not to go snorkeling, that he shouldn’t be going out because it was Holy Week, but he disobeyed. He went out in a banca, a wooden boat, and dropped down into the water with his snorkel. That was the first time he encountered a shark. The shark which was one and a half of his height in length, went near him and stared at him close up. He tried to disappear into the rock face in his fear. The shark then glided away. The ironic thing is he was in this place called Siete Pecados, which translates to Seven Sins. Not only that, it refers to seven rocky islets and the local legend is there were seven sisters who were transformed into islands after disobeying their mother! 

The lesson is don’t disobey your mother or you will turn into an island! Ha ha! What does the Bible say about sin? St. Paul tells the Romans (6:23), “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He also tells the Hebrews "For if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains a fearful looking forward to judgment, and a fiery wrath that will consume the adversaries.” (10:26-27) Lent is a time when I am made aware of my weakness. Sometimes even with the best intentions, I fall short. That is why I am relieved we have recourse to confession. Proverbs 28:13 says clearly, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” 

Thank You Father we can always repent and turn back to You. 

Easter People

“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples.” Matthew 28:8

After the Sabbath, it was still dawn when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb. What they found was inexplicable, the heavy stone was rolled away, and an angel whose appearance was like lightning, said to them, “Do not be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” 

The resurrection of Jesus? Fact or fiction? One would think that most skeptics would debunk Jesus’ resurrection with theories like mass hallucination or the idea that He did not really die, but they can’t. Our belief in Jesus’ resurrection is based on eyewitness accounts written by men willing to die for it. Those men, Peter, James and John, knew the truth. They saw Jesus. They preached it, and they were able to convince so many others by the power of their conviction. St. Paul, who originally went after Christians to put them in jail, became a follower of Christ three years after Jesus’ death. 

Bart Ehrman, a very well known skeptic, a non-Christian, said, "Paul got to interview Peter and James. I'd like to interview Peter and James. This is as close to eye witness testimony as we can get.”

Another proof of the resurrection is the gospel account tells us that WOMEN discovered the empty tomb. Women in those times couldn’t give a testimony in court. They were second class citizens. They were not considered credible witnesses. If the story was made up, it would never have included women as the first to be at the scene. And then there were the radical transformations of Peter, who went from coward to a champion of the truth, James who thought Jesus was crazy to the leader of the Jerusalem Church, and countless others martyrs of the faith. 

God made sure that what we believe in is based on defendable facts. There is so much more evidence about Jesus and His life, death and resurrection, than there is about Julius Caesar and Alexander!

As Pope John Paul II famously paraphrased St. Augustine, “We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song."

Bridge to Life!

“He saw and believed.” John 20:1-9

When my grandson Elijah was 3 years old, he watched the cartoon version of the crucifixion and the resurrection that Saddleback Church produced. He said it was amazing, and he had so many superlatives for the Easter miracle. During the flogging, he asked if Jesus was going to be all right. He was so fascinated with the dying and rising that he wanted to watch it again and again! 

Can we be like a little child and see the breathtaking, awesome gift God has given us, or are we so used to hearing about it every year that it hardly matters to us? 

Many people have said correctly that the moment we are born, we begin our descent to death. But for those of us who follow Christ, love Him and obey Him, He has built us a bridge to life. We can hasten to meet Him who is our hope! Let us also hasten to tell others that because Christ is truly risen from the dead, our pilgrim journey towards life and love is assured. 

A blessed, holy Easter season to everyone!

The King is Asleep

This is an ancient homily for Holy Saturday but the author is unknown. 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ 

 

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him, Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying:

“Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.

“I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise.

“I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth.

“For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

“See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

“I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

“Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God.

“The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.”

What’s So Good about Good Friday????

What's so good about Good Friday????

It's good because it's all about love, love of the best kind. What happens on Good Friday up to Easter Sunday is the fullest revelation of God’s love for each and everyone of us. 

After Jesus taught the disciples how to love during his last supper with them- by SERVING, by putting others FIRST, by washing His disciples feet like a servant, He now finishes His lesson with the ultimate example of giving His life for others, not only those who obey and love Him, but also for those who reject and ridicule Him. 

"This is how much I love you. I am willing to give my life for you."

If you think about it, who are we, that the King of the Universe is willing to die for us? I guess that's why it's so difficult for many to understand this faith we have. It's ABSURD, ILLOGICAL, INCONCEIVABLE, UNIMAGINABLE....

But Jesus was a real man, and He did many miracles. He was wise and learned, and many believed in Him, and were even willing to be tortured for Him and die for Him. He claimed He was God in so many ways that was clear to the Jews at that time. That is why He was put to death, for blasphemy. But the most compelling reason for me is that only God could put together the Bible. It was written by about 40 different authors over a period of 1,500-2,000 years in three different languages across three continents. How is it possible that it tells one unified story of a loving God who has a plan to redeem the world from sin through His son Jesus Christ? 

Our choice is to believe Him, that He is who He says He is, or to dismiss Him as a charlatan, a lunatic, or worse, the spawn of the devil!

He said, "FOLLOW ME,", and He said if we followed His teachings, we would be blessed, because His teachings were all about loving God, and loving our neighbors. If we follow Him, He will bring us to live with Him in His Kingdom.

Unless I Wash You

“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." John 13:8

After Jesus eats His last meal with His disciples, He prepares to wash their feet. Of course none of them were prepared for that! 

At the evening mass for Holy Thursday, the priest washes the feet of some church goers. I am sure those chosen men wash their feet well! But the disciples did not have time to prepare. So of course, Peter and no doubt the others said, “NO WAY!" 

Peter was probably too ashamed to let Jesus hold his grimy, calloused feet with its long dirty toenails! But Jesus said, "I have to wash your feet, or you won't get your inheritance, you can't have a part of My Kingdom. You won't be my brother." And so Peter typically goes overboard and pleads, “Wash my hands and head as well!"

Today, how can we allow Jesus to wash us, cleanse us? By going to confession, by asking forgiveness, by allowing Him into the deepest recesses of our hearts, minds and lives, asking Him to show us what we need to change, to give up, to surrender. 

St. Peter writes, "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). He should know, as he witnessed first hand how Jesus’ compassion covered his sin of betrayal, and is more than enough to atone for our own transgression. 

Thank You, Jesus, for washing me clean so I may receive the promised inheritance of all children of God!

Our Helper

“I gave my back to those who beat me.” Isaiah 50:6

As we get to the heart of the Lenten season, we read more and more of the prophecies of Isaiah. Last Palm Sunday, we read this same prophecy about Jesus, that He did not rebel, He gave His back to those who beat Him even if He could have ordered any element in the universe, any force in heaven and earth, to save Him. “Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels?” He told His disciples who wanted to fight for Him. 

We may think that Jesus had a supernatural spirit behind Him, and that’s why He could endure all His beatings, all the insults piled on Him. But we too have this prevailing, conquering Spirit. “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7

When Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were in the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, Betsie would get beaten because she was so weak from her congenital anemia. She could not carry much and Ravensbrück was a work camp. The women were forced to get up at 4:30 am and get their job orders. But Betsie would remind Corrie, “No hate.” Betsie told Corrie there was always a reason for everything, and that when they got out, they would be able to tell their story. Betsie died in camp, but Corrie was able to go around the world and tell many stories. One of my favorites is how Betsie would prod her younger sister Corrie to thank God for everything. “Everything? Even the fleas?” The large room where the women were crowded into was crawling with fleas, and Corrie was skeptical about thanking God for those creatures! One day Betsie said excitedly, “I found out why no one bothers us here!” They had been holding 2 bible studies a night, all the women crowded together, singing hymns, and none of the guards came in to stop them! “It’s because of the fleas!” 

Thank You Lord for giving us Your Spirit of forbearance and strength. Thank You that we can lean on You. We do not have to struggle on alone. 

Path to Fullness of Life

"I will lay down my life for You!" John 13:37

During the Last Supper, we would all like to be Peter and not Judas the betrayer. We would all like to be the one who says to the Lord, "I will lay down my life for You! I am ready to die for You! I will follow till the end!" 

We would all like to see ourselves as coming from the heroic mold and certainly Peter thought he could hack it. But Jesus knew the truth. "Lay down your life for me?" answered Jesus, "Before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times!" What was the difference between Peter and Judas who betrayed Jesus willfully? Their hearts. 

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45, NIV) Peter spoke what his heart was full of, his ardent desire to be there for Jesus. Jesus knew what was in Peter's heart just as He knows what is in ours. 

Lord, may my heart be full of love for You and Your Word. May my heart just burst with gratefulness that You chose me. If I let go of You, as Peter did, bring me back. Forgive me of all my sins and show me the path to fullness of life! 

Wildly Generous Love

“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” John 12:5

I like the retelling of the story of Mary of Bethany and her alabaster jar sung by Lillie McCloud. She is able to capture the poignancy of the moment when Mary pours this precious oil, this expensive perfume on Jesus' feet. Mary's offering was worth a year's wages, 300 denarii we are told, and came from far away, a place in Northern India. Was Mary so rich that she could afford to just give this away? She broke her beautiful container to get every ounce of that ointment to wash Jesus' dirty feet with. And she wiped it with her long unbound hair. Why?

The song goes, "Though she spoke no words, everything she said was heard, as she poured her love for the Master from her box of alabaster. I've come to pour my praise on him, like oil from Mary's alabaster box...I can't forget the way life used to be. I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound and I spent my days, poured my life without measure into a little treasure box I'd thought I'd found. Until the day Jesus came to me and healed my soul with the wonder of His touch. So now I'm giving back to Him all the praise He's worthy of. I've been forgiven and that's why I love Him so much!" 

Listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/Qp3B3tZFtLE?si=HXLh9RsZ24Z3bewe

Do we realize how much God loves us that we are willing to respond to Him with an extravagant love? A love that costs us something? Are we aware of God's forgiveness and mercy that we desire to be wildly generous and give God the best of us, our "first fruits"? In John 12:3, it described that the whole house was filled with fragrance. Although Mary did not say anything, every one who was there (except Judas!) knew that Mary was offering pure worship to Jesus. 

Lord, I am so unworthy, and so lacking in gratitude. As the Lenten season comes to a climax this week, help me to see Your face more fully, and the sacrifice You offered on the cross for me. Help me to love You with a wildly generous love, the same love You have for me! I do not deserve this love Lord, but You surround me with it! Thank you Lord!!!!

Never Give Up!

“I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know Me.” Luke 22:34

“Though all may have their faith in You shaken, mine will never be," Peter said this to Jesus in, I imagine, a firm decisive manner (Matthew 26:33). But as we all know he betrayed Jesus three times. The great difference between Peter and Judas is that Judas gave up and did not repent. After Judas turned Jesus over, he was so filled with guilt and remorse and who knows what else! 

As we enter into Holy Week, I look to Peter. Like Peter I have betrayed Jesus many times. I can be impatient and unkind, and one of the worst things Jesus hates, judgmental! But the Lord knows our weaknesses even better than we do, and forgives us in His mercy, even if we find it hard to forgive ourselves! We just need to never give up and look to Him to be washed clean.

Thank You Lord for never giving up on us, for allowing Yourself to be forsaken by Your Father so we wouldn't be! Thank You for the example of all the weak men like Peter and the saints, who did not give up, but when they turned to you for strength and forgiveness, were able to go on victoriously!

Mourning into Joy

“I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.” Jeremiah 31:13

I read about this lady named Hu Xinglian. She is a professional mourner, a "kusangren", who is hired to ensure that a Chinese funeral is noisy with cries and wailing. She even comes with her own sound system, six members of her band and multi colored spotlights. After all the impassioned sobbing, there is a lot of festivities. I do not think this is what God had in mind when He pronounced through the prophet Jeremiah that, “I will turn their mourning into joy…”

I think if we can see deep into the heart of God, there is a lot of grief. Grief over the many sins and failures of man. And so, if we want to connect with our Father, we should grieve and mourn for that which He grieves and mourns over. Our personal sins. The sins of our leaders. The terror plots, the killing and persecution of Christians in many countries around the world, the hunger and food insecurity of our own people, etc. The number of lives lost to abortion, cancer, families destroyed by drug addiction and broken marriages…

After all these, God promises comfort, consolation, yes even joy. In Revelation 21:4, the promise is, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Do we take this promise for ourselves, for us personally? 

We can take the words in Ezekiel 37, our first reading for today, and allow God to break into our life and speak to us: “I will deliver you from all your sins, and cleanse you so that you may be my people and I may be your God….I will make with you a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with you, …and I will put my sanctuary among you forever. My dwelling shall be with you, I will be your God, and you shall be my people.” 

Yes Lord, even as we grieve for these "former things", we look forward to the day that there will be no more pain. Thank You for Your promises, and Your mercy, grace, and truth we can depend on. 

Mighty Champion

“But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion...” Jeremiah 20:11

We will never be able to grasp how high, how wide, how deep is our God’s love for us. He really is our mighty champion who never ever gives up on us, even when we give up on ourselves. Sometimes we feel disappointed in ourselves for having failed in some way, or sinned, or whatever. It doesn’t matter. God waits always by our side. He doesn’t turn His back on us. 

I love this song from Hillsong Worship:

“You were the Word at the beginning

One With God the Lord Most High

Your hidden glory in creation

Now revealed in You our Christ

What a beautiful Name it is

What a beautiful Name it is

The Name of Jesus Christ my King

What a beautiful Name it is

Nothing compares to this

What a beautiful Name it is

The Name of Jesus

You didn't want heaven without us

So Jesus, You brought heaven down

My sin was great, Your love was greater

What could separate us now”

When we see the vast scope of God’s mighty hand, from the Old Testament stories to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can’t help but marvel at God’s love written in large bold letters. The story of Moses and the Passover foreshadow Jesus, His death on the cross and the Eucharist. Jesus is the true Passover lamb who leads us out of spiritual bondage to a new Exodus. Just as the Hebrews who partook of the lamb as instructed by Moses, were spared from death, so too we who feed on Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist receive grace for salvation. The new Passover is Christ our champion delivering us from the bondage of sin, leading us to the true promised land of heaven! Nothing compares to this!

Find song here: https://youtu.be/fEwDx8YJndU?si=cDK00lpXFPlrI--Y

God is the Same

“No longer will you be called Abram…” Genesis 17:5

What's with all the name changing in the Bible? God told Abram in Genesis 17:5, "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." After Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, wrestles with an angel and wins, the angel tells him his new name is Israel. God changes a person's name to give him a new identity, a new destiny, a new mission. It's also a prophetic call.

Perhaps some of us have nicknames given to us in our youth that have negative connotations relating to our height, our failures, our social inadequacies. Or maybe some of us have labels we carry because a doctor pronounced it upon us: diabetes, cancer, hypertension... We can also give ourselves a declaration that forms a barrier to our happiness or confidence: "I can't do this." "I'm not creative." "I'm not beautiful." "I'm destined to fail."

God can give us a new name, and we can claim it, by looking through the Bible, and finding those verses that we can confess until we believe it.

God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 "I have power. I have no fear!"

The love of God in me never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "I am love."

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14 "I am healed."

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 "I have a good future!”

Like Abraham, let us hold fast to God’s promises for our God is the same today as He was yesterday.