Homily: 3rd in Easter – Cycle C
Friends,
in these weeks of Easter, we are often given contrasting images of the Apostles. Pre-Pentecost, we see the Apostles locking
themselves in the upper room, being fearful and unbelieving of the resurrection
of Jesus, and attempting to turn back to their old ways of life. Post-Pentecost, we see the Apostles
evangelizing openly, working miracles in the name of Jesus, and teaching about
Jesus in spite of threats by the powerful religious authorities (the same ones
who had Jesus put to death). We are
given these contrasting images, I believe, in order illustrate for us where we
are now and where we are to go in the coming weeks. Let me try to explain what I mean.
We
all know that Lent is a time of preparation to celebrate the Passion, Death,
and Resurrection of Jesus. This
preparation takes the form of voluntary penance—prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving—with the goal of removing sin from our lives and making of ourselves
a pure offering to God, in union with Jesus.
But this is only the beginning.
It’s like deciding to plant a garden or a flowerbed. In order to do so, you first have to remove
all of the weeds, rocks, and other debris, and then cultivate the soil, so that
it is ready to receive the new seeds and produce the fruits of what has been
planted. Once this is finished, there is
still a season of planting and growing before the fruit is realized.
The
Easter season is this season of planting and growing. And, just like with the Apostles, it can be a
time of some uncertainty. “Now that we
have cleared the ground and can rejoice in the new life of the Resurrection,
what should be planted and what fruit are we being called to bear?” This is the question that presents itself
during Easter: a question that demonstrates that this time is also a time of
preparation. Just as Lent prepared us
for the celebration of Easter, so Easter prepares us to celebrate Pentecost in
which the power of the Holy Spirit will be renewed in us for the proclamation
of the Good News of Jesus to those around us.
This
preparation requires an encounter with the Risen Christ and a deep relationship
with him that opens us to trust where the Spirit will lead us. Therefore, it’s important that we do not
abandon the works of Lent now that it is Easter, but rather work to integrate
them more fully in our lives. In prayer,
we turn to God and seek to encounter him.
In fasting, we remove worldly things that are barriers to our relationship
with God. In almsgiving, we turn the
good with which God has blessed us into a blessing for others. In Lent, we embraced these works as a penance
in order to purify ourselves for God. In
Easter, we continue these works in order to integrate the good that they have
produced into our lives.
For
example, if during Lent I turned away from YouTube and social media in order to
focus more time on prayer and spiritual reading, and if doing so helped me to
grow in my relationship with God, then I should continue this work during
Easter: no longer as an act of penance, but rather as an ongoing means to grow
deeper in my relationship with God and to prepare myself more fully to respond
to the Holy Spirit in my life. If during
Lent I decided to spend less money on things that I wanted in order to break a
habit of selfish spending and thus to share more with the poor, then I should
continue this work during Easter: no longer as an act of penance to break my
selfishness, but rather as an ongoing means to proclaim the love of God to my
brothers and sisters in my community by my works. Does this make sense? I hope so.
This
is not easy, of course. This is why we
are given these contrasting images of the Apostles during these weeks: to show
us that even the Apostles did this same work.
In the days following the Resurrection, the Apostles weren’t sure what
to do. The Risen Jesus repeatedly appeared
to them, however, guiding them through this confusing time so as to prepare
them to receive the Holy Spirit and to respond to his direction. After the Holy Spirit came to them at
Pentecost, there was no more confusion, only confidence to go out and share the
Good News of Jesus with everyone. Notice
how Peter and the other Apostles caught no fish when they went fishing for the
first time since Jesus called them away from it. We see in this how fruitless it is to try to
go back to the way we were before Lent and thus the need to be open to
encounters with the Risen Jesus in which he will instruct us and prepare us to
receive the Holy Spirit anew and respond to his direction.
Friends,
our lives are full of challenges, but the Resurrection truly changes
everything. The Resurrection infuses
supernatural hope into our lives. This
hope reminds us that even the greatest challenges can be overcome by the power
of God. This power, in turn, empowers us
to face these challenges, as the Apostles faced theirs: with humility and
courage. Like them, we are called to
give witness to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, this time of Easter is one of
preparation for the renewal of the power of the Holy Spirit within us at
Pentecost.
One
of the best ways that we are strengthened to proclaim the Good News of Jesus is
through our participation in the Mass.
Here, we encounter the Risen Christ and deepen our relationship with
him: both as individuals and as a community.
Our participation in it is itself a testimony to our belief in the
Resurrection, which in turn gives us strength to give joyful testimony to it in
our daily lives.
May
this encounter with the Risen Christ strengthen us for this good work of
preparation for Pentecost and day by day may it renew the joy of the
Resurrection in us.
Given in Spanish at St. Paul Parish: Marion, IN – April 30th,
2022
Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Delphi, IN, and Our Lady
of Mt. Carmel Parish: Carmel, IN – May 1st, 2022
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