My Lord and My God

Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday of Divine Mercy
April 24, 2022 – Year C
Readings: Acts 5:12-16 / Ps 118 / Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 / Jn 20:19-31
by Rev. Louis Benoit, Guest Celebrant

In the gospel for today, I think we need to be in touch with the apostles in that closed-off room on this first Easter Sunday night. The gospel tells us they were afraid; they were in there because of fear of the Jews.  Jesus had just been crucified, and they were His followers. The Jewish people could be after them for the same reason.

Besides fear, there was probably a great deal of confusion. Jesus had been crucified. What were they going to do? Where were they going to go? They’d heard news about the empty tomb, but they hadn’t seen Jesus or anything like that. They were probably very confused.

They probably had a certain amount of guilt, too. In Jesus’ hour of suffering, they slept through it, and when He was taken away, they ran away. So there was probably a certain amount of guilt.

Fear. Confusion. Guilt. They were huddled in that closed room with the locked doors. In the midst of that, Jesus ends up standing among them. The first thing He says is, “Peace be with you.” And He repeats it.

What is peace? Peace is when creation is ordered as God would have it. The tranquility of order; that’s peace. Those people He was standing among were in serious need of peace.

Then He tells them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus was sent, then He preached the Gospel of peace, justice, and love, against the reign of sin, evil, and death. And with His death and resurrection, it is now the responsibility of His followers to continue His mission. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

He doesn’t send them forth alone. He says to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” That’s another aspect of resurrection existence: The Spirit that animated Jesus in His lifetime, through His death and resurrection, is now passed on to His followers. And so they don’t go off alone to do the work of Jesus.  The very Spirit of Jesus is with them as they continue that work.

But before He says, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” the gospel says He breathed on them. That’s a symbol that could be easily missed. To understand that symbol, you have to go all the way back to the beginning: the Book of Genesis and creation. When God creates the human, He makes the human out of the mud of the earth. But the human only becomes human when God breathes God’s life into the human. And what that is a symbol of in Genesis is that the human is of the earth and of God. That’s how all human beings are: We’re of the earth and we’re of God.

The fact that Jesus breathes on His apostles is saying He’s breathing new life into them. They are a new creation in Christ Jesus. That’s the meaning of Jesus’ breathing on them.

He does that before He says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Thus they are commissioned to continue the work of Jesus.

The Bible is the living word of God for us today. So that’s not just written about the apostles on the first Easter; it’s written about us. Jesus says to us, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Those are words to us today. And “Receive the Holy Spirit.” We have received the Spirit of Jesus in Baptism and Confirmation. That Spirit is constantly being renewed in Eucharist. And so this gospel is not just about the apostles; it’s about us and what our responsibilities are.

It’s also significant that we have the doubting Thomas in the gospel. Thomas who doubts: He’s not there when Jesus comes. They say, “We have seen the Lord.” And he says, “I’m not going to believe until I touch Him, until I feel the wounds in His hands and touch the wound in His side.  I’m not going to believe.”  A week later, Thomas is there, and Jesus comes. Thomas sees Jesus’ wounds, and he touched the wounds, and he makes the comment, “My Lord and my God.”

A lot of scripture scholars say that this Easter appearance to the apostles was the conclusion of the Gospel of John; the appearance by Jesus at the Sea of Tiberius was a later addition to the gospel. And so Thomas’ professing, “My Lord and my God,” is the apostles’ coming to full faith. Thomas is speaking, but it’s in the name of all the apostles, proclaiming the risen Jesus: “My Lord and my God.” It’s a culmination of their faith. It’s the final profession of their faith in the presence of the risen Jesus: “My Lord and my God.”

Of course, as we are called to continue the ministry of Jesus, we are called (“As the Father has sent me, so I send you”), with the grace of the Spirit we have received, to give the spirit of Jesus to others, and we can say like Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”

Be The Net

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 13, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Jer 17:5-8 / Ps 1 / 1 Cor 15:12, 16-29 / Lk 6:17, 20-26
by Rev. Mr. Barry Welch, Guest Homilist

There are only two kinds of people – those with loaded guns and those who dig.  That’s a line from Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.   Here’s another one – those who nibble corn on the cob in a circle, and those who nibble corn on the cob in a line.  And my favorite, there are only two kinds of people in this world – those who load the toilet paper to pull from the back, and those who properly load it to go over the top.  The whole idea is “us and them.” (more…)

We Are Called

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 6, 2022 — Year C
Readings: Is 6:1-2a, 3-8 / Ps 138 / 1 Cor 15:1-11 / Lk 5:1-11
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Our three readings today have a similar theme.  They all tell us about individuals being called to serve God.

In the first reading, we hear that the Lord said to the prophet Isaiah (who lived some seven hundred years before the birth of Christ), “Whom shall I send?”  Isaiah replied, “Here I am.  Send me.”  In the second reading, Saint Paul narrates that, after Jesus had appeared to many other people, He appeared to Paul himself.  Finally, in the gospel, Peter, James, and John are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, after their boats are overloaded, and their nets are splitting because of the number of fish they caught.

Each of these men was called in a dramatic way: Isaiah’s sin being purged by a burning ember on his lips; Paul being knocked from his horse; and Peter, James, and John having their boats almost sink under the weight of the fish they caught.  You might say, if God called me by performing a similar miracle, I would probably accomplish great things, too.

The truth is, God has called each of us.  Maybe we didn’t hear His voice, or experience some miraculous conversion, but let’s face it, neither have most other people.  I don’t recall that either Mother Teresa or even Pope John Paul II ever revealed that they had a miraculous calling from God.  We may not consider ourselves in that kind of calling, but everyone has a call from God, although sometimes we don’t remember or even recognize the call.  When I was called to the priesthood, I didn’t experience any miraculous incident or something supernatural.  I thought about the possibility of becoming a priest, I prayed over it, and then decided that this is what God wanted me to do.

To those of you who are married, you had a call from God.  To the young people here, by the very fact that you were born, you have had a call from God.  We might say, but my call was so ordinary, nothing like that of our readings.  The most important fact, however, is not the call that counts, but how each person, such as Isaiah, Paul, Peter, James, and John, reacts to the individual calling received.  Those men merely accepted God’s invitation, and if we do the same, then our lives can be fulfilling, as their lives were.

For example, how does a married person react positively to the call of God?  Of course, by truly loving his or her spouse.  There is probably no husband or wife here who would say that is always easy to do.  It may be easy most of the time, but there are times when it is probably difficult.  That is the key.  God asked all of us to accept our calling and react in a manner that mirrors the reaction of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Remember, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He initially reacted exactly the way many of us react, when we find ourselves in situations that we find difficult or uncomfortable.

We might think we never experience Christ’s dilemma, but when husbands and wives don’t agree, or when children do not want to obey their parents, or when we are tempted to sin against the commandments, we, too, face a difficult decision.  Jesus responded to the possibility of His being crucified by moaning, “Let this cup pass from me, Father.”

Are any of you in that same situation right now?  My spouse and I had a fight.  My parents don’t understand me.  My boyfriend wants me to get more deeply involved than we should.  How we react to those situations determines whether we are truly answering God’s call to us.  Why do I have to make these difficult decisions?  Why do I have to think of God or other people?  Why not just do what I want to do?  These are questions we frequently ask ourselves.  Paul was called to evangelize the world.  Peter was called to martyrdom.  They reacted positively to their calling and that is what each of us must do.  We are expected to accept the conditions of our ordinary calling.

For us, answering the call, may be the courage to kiss one’s spouse and apologize.  It may be realizing God has given your parents the responsibility to expect reasonable obedience from you.  It also may be that you have the responsibility to tell your boyfriend or your friends, No.

This is one of the dimensions in the Synod on Synodality headed by Pope Francis.  The third dimension is what we call, the Mission.  Mission, because we are all called or we are all sent to evangelize and to witness God’s love to the world.  The question is, Is that an easy thing to do?  Not always.  Do not forget that in Gethsemane, Jesus was terrified.  He did not want to face the upcoming nightmare or trial, just as we often do not want to face any adversity in life.  However, we should give the same answer to our God as Jesus gave to His Father: “Father, not my will, but Yours, be done.”

The men mentioned in our readings today faced many difficulties.  At times they were under intense pressure.  We may not be as famous as they are, but we walk the same walk that they walked.  The pressures and the difficulties that we have are real.

As we face any difficulty in answering our call to follow God’s will, we should follow Christ’s example in the garden.  We should turn to His Father in prayer, and He will answer us.  He will give us the strength and courage to react in the same manner as did the men in today’s readings.  Isaiah said, “Here I am.  Send me.”  Paul said, “But by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace to me has not been ineffective.”  The reply of Peter, James, and John was eloquent.  When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Him.  We should, too.

Your Holy Family

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
December 26, 2021 — Year C
Readings: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 / Ps 128 / Col 3:12-21 / Lk 2:41-52
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

On the first Sunday after Christmas, the Church always celebrates the Feast of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. They are the number one model of a family that follows God’s will.  That’s why this Sunday’s reading features three essential elements of a Christian or sacred family. (more…)

The Missing Piece

Third Sunday of Advent
December 12, 2021 — Year C
Readings: Zep 3:14-18a / Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 / Phil 4:4-7 / Lk 3:10-18
by Rev. Mr. Mark De La Hunt, Permanent Deacon

Good morning and welcome to Gaudete Sunday, which in Latin means rejoice. To help us understand that word, I would like you to recall a time in your life when you went from feeling incompleteness, or pain, or uncertainty, or loneliness, or boredom, or aimlessness to feeling whole and joyful.

Maybe it was when that person you liked asked you on a date or agreed to go on a date with you, or when your significant other first said, “I love you”, or when your boss, out of the blue told you that you are doing a great job, or when your doctor relieved your pain, or when your best friend or family member forgave you, or when you and your wife first realized you were going to have a baby. (more…)

Prepare for His Coming

First Sunday of Advent
November 28, 2021 — Year C
Readings: Jer 33:14-16 / Ps 25 / 1 Thes 3:12-4:2 / Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Today is the first day of Advent and also the first day of the liturgical calendar of the Church.  That’s why some would say it’s the New Year for the Church.

Every time we hear the word Advent, what comes to our mind?  Perhaps we would say, “Christmas is near.”  Yes, Christmas is near, but it’s not yet Christmas.

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning ‘coming’ or ‘arrival.’   In this season of Advent, the Church invites us to prepare for the coming of the Lord into our lives.  The Church teaches us there are three ways in which the Lord comes into our lives. (more…)

What You Do Today

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 14, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Dn 12:1-3 / Ps 16 / Heb 10:11-14, 18 / Mk 13:24-32
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

There is a beautiful Cherokee proverb that says: “When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that, when you die, the world cries, and you rejoice.”

Our gospel today talks about the end of time. For many years, people have speculated about the end of time, because people love to speculate, especially about when the world might come to an end. That is why writers and filmmakers make money by imagining how it might end. (more…)

Not to Be Served, But to Serve

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 17, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Is 53:10-11 / Ps 33 / Heb 4:14-16 / Mk 10:35-45
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

There is a story about three sons, who left home, went out on their own, and prospered.  Later, when they were reunited, they discussed the gifts they had been able to give to their elderly mother.

The first one said, “I built a big house for our mother.”

The second one said, “I sent her a Mercedes with a driver.”

The third smiled and said, “I’ve got you both bested.  Remember how Mom enjoyed reading the Bible?  You know she can’t see very well, so I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible.  It took elders in the church twelve years to teach him.  He is one of a kind.  Mom just has to name chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it.” (more…)

Who Will Choose the Son?

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 19, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Wis 2:12, 17-20 / Ps 54 / Jas 3:16-4:3 / Mk 9:30-37
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

Who is above all of us?  Who is the most powerful?  Who is the most respected?  In today’s gospel, this is what the apostles were arguing about.  As Jesus spoke of His coming pain, the disciples insisted on exaggerating themselves.

Our gospel today reminds me of a beautiful story that moved me.  It is about a wealthy man and his son, who loved to collect rare works of art.  They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.  They often would sit together at night and admire the great works of art. (more…)

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 12, 2021 — Year B
Readings: Is 50:5-9a / Ps 116 / Jas 2:14-18 / Mk 8:27-35
by Rev. Nixon Negparanon, Pastor

There is a story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on a camping trip.  As they lay sleeping one night, Holmes woke Watson and said,

“Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson said, “I see millions of stars.”

Holmes asked, “And what does that tell you?”

Watson replied, “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.  Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignificant.  Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.  What does it tell you?”

Holmes answered, “Someone stole our tent.” (more…)