The terror of the cross

Homily: Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Homilía: Viernes de la Pasión del Señor

          Terrorism is something with which, sadly, we are all familiar and terrorists are those who seek to intimidate people into conformance with their group’s ideology.  For example, the playground bully uses taunts and physical violence to force the other kids to recognize him as “king of the playground”.  The other kids don’t like him, but they are so afraid of him that they conform so as to avoid his verbal and physical assaults.  On a larger scale, the videos published by ISIS are true “acts of terror” meant to instill fear into the hearts of whomever views or even hears about them so that no one will resist them for fear of suffering the same fate.

          In the ancient Roman Empire, the cross was meant to terrify people.  As a form of execution, it wasn’t meant solely to punish the criminal.  Rather, it was also a public display of cruelty meant to instill fear into the heart of every other person: a form of intimidation meant to eliminate any resistance to the Roman authorities.  Thus, the charge against the crucified person was posted above their head as a way of saying “Don’t even think about doing this, because this is how you’ll end up.”  So effective was this method of intimidation that people of that time wouldn’t speak about the cross in polite conversation: it was disturbing even to think about it because, for them, the cross was equated with a horrific death: a death that was humiliating, agonizingly painful, and, ultimately, dehumanizing.

          Today, however, it seems like we have sanitized the cross.  We have made it nothing more than an expression of our personal style or a pious thing about which to talk.  In other words, we’ve lost the “fear factor” that originally came with it.  As part of the Easter Triduum, Good Friday invites us once again to recognize that truly it is a fearful thing to hold up the cross as the symbol of our victory; because in doing so we proclaim not only that we are a follower of Jesus, but that we, too, would be gladly crucified with him and for him, because of our faith that one day he will raise us up again.

          My brothers and sisters, events happening around the world, and even those happening here in the United States, demonstrate that this type of witness is not far from being demanded of us.  Therefore, as we come forward to venerate the cross, let us keep this in mind: that Christ suffered for our sins—yours and mine—and so we must constantly plead for his mercy; and that the cross, symbol of our victory in Christ, should be fearfully embraced: for one day what it demanded of Christ may be demanded of us, too.  Nonetheless we have hope: because in Christ the cross no longer means certain and irrevocable death, but it means life: the eternal life that dawns on Easter Sunday.

          El terrorismo es algo con lo que, tristemente, todos somos familiares y los terroristas son aquellos que intentan intimidar a las personas para que se ajusten a la ideología de su grupo. Por ejemplo, el matón del patio de recreo utiliza burlas y violencia física para obligar a los otros niños a reconocerlo como "rey del patio de recreo". A los otros niños no les gusta, pero tienen tanto miedo de él que se conforman para evitar sus agresiones verbales y físicas. En una escala más grande, los videos publicados por ISIS son verdaderos "actos de terror" destinados a infundir miedo en los corazones de quienquiera que vean o incluso escuchar sobre ellos para que nadie se resista a ellos por temor a sufrir el mismo destino.

          En el antiguo Imperio Romano, la cruz estaba destinada a aterrorizar a la gente. Como una forma de ejecución, no fue solo para castigar al criminal. Más bien, era también una muestra pública de crueldad destinada a infundir temor en el corazón de todas las demás personas: una forma de intimidación destinada a eliminar cualquier resistencia a las autoridades romanas. Por lo tanto, la acusación contra la persona crucificada se publicó sobre su cabeza como una forma de decir "Ni siquiera pienses en hacer esto, porque así es como terminarás". Tan efectivo era este método de intimidación que la gente de ese tiempo no hablaría de la cruz en una conversación educada: era inquietante incluso pensar en ello porque, para ellos, la cruz se equiparaba con una muerte horrible: una muerte que era humillante, angustiosamente dolorosa y, en última instancia, deshumanizante.

          Hoy, sin embargo, parece que hemos desinfectado la cruz. La hemos hecho nada más que una expresión de nuestro estilo personal o algo piadoso de lo que hablar. En otras palabras, hemos perdido el "factor de miedo" que originalmente vino con la cruz. Como parte del Triduo Pascual, el Viernes Santo nos invita una vez más a reconocer que verdaderamente es algo espantoso sostener la cruz como el símbolo de nuestra victoria; porque al hacerlo, proclamamos no solo que somos seguidores de Jesús, sino que también nosotros, con gusto, seríamos crucificados con él y por él, debido a nuestra fe en que algún día nos resucitará.

          Mis hermanos y hermanas, los eventos que suceden en todo el mundo, e incluso los que suceden aquí en los Estados Unidos, demuestran que este tipo de testimonio no está lejos de exigirse a nosotros. Por lo tanto, cuando avancemos para venerar la cruz, tengamos esto en mente: que Cristo sufrió por nuestros pecados, el suyo y el mío, y así debemos constantemente rogar por su misericordia; y que la cruz, símbolo de nuestra victoria en Cristo, debe ser abrazada con miedo; porque un día también se nos exigirá lo que exigió a Cristo. Sin embargo, tenemos esperanza: porque en Cristo la cruz ya no significa una muerte cierto e irrevocable, sino la vida: la vida eterna que amanece el domingo de Pascua.

Dado en la parroquia Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN – 30 de marzo, 2018

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – March 30^th, 2018

A true gift: the gift of Christ

Homily/Homilía: Holy Thursday/El Jueves Santo

          A gift, by its nature, has two defining characteristics: 1) it is something that has been freely given and 2) it is undeserved by the one who receives it.  Just think about a birthday gift for a moment.  One who gives a gift for a birthday always does so freely, motivated by love for the person whose birthday is being celebrated.  In other words, no one is ever coerced into giving a birthday gift, because if they are then it really isn’t a gift.  And the person receiving the gift did nothing to earn this gift, right?  I mean, they didn’t choose to be born on whatever particular day it happens to be; and, besides, there is nothing particularly deserving of gifts for being born on any given day.  Thus, a present given to celebrate someone’s birthday is truly a gift, because it is both freely given and “unearned” by the one who receives it.

          When we look at this story that we just recounted from the Gospel of John, we see in Jesus’ action more than just a model of how to treat one another; rather, we see also a gift.  Jesus, the teacher and leader of this band of disciples, does not owe these men anything.  If anything, these men ought to be the one’s washing Jesus’ feet.  Nonetheless, Jesus freely chooses to wash their feet, demonstrating just how devoted he is to them by offering them this undeserved gift of loving service, calling it a “model to follow”.  Peter, perhaps speaking on behalf of the other disciples, fails to understand Jesus’ action as a gift and at first he refuses it, but then asks for more than what was being given.  In other words, it seems as if he only wanted Jesus’ gift if he could have it “his way”.  Only after the events of Good Friday will he come to understand the gift that they had been given.

          Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has said that “to be a Christian is primarily a gift…”  Beginning tonight, we meditate on the gifts that Jesus has given us: the gift of the Eucharist, the gift of the priesthood, and the gift of this “model to be followed”.  Over these next three days we will meditate deeply on these gifts in light of the gift that unifies them all—a gift freely given and of which we are wholly undeserving—the sacrifice of his life so that we might have eternal life.

          Perhaps tonight we find ourselves like Peter, unwilling to accept Jesus’ gift as it has been given or perhaps even asking for more than was offered (in other words, trying to have it “our way”).  If so, then let us pray—tonight and over these next three days—that we may be like Peter also at Easter Sunday: humbled but joyful before the Risen Christ whose gift—the sacrifice of his Body and Blood, his living Body and Blood—is still being given to us.

          Un regalo, por su naturaleza, tiene dos características definitorias: 1) es algo que ha sido dado libremente y 2) no es merecido por quien lo recibe. Solo piensa por un momento en un regalo de cumpleaños. Quien da un regalo para un cumpleaños siempre lo hace libremente, motivado por el amor hacia la persona cuyo cumpleaños se celebra. En otras palabras, nunca se obliga a nadie a dar un regalo de cumpleaños, porque si lo es, realmente no es un regalo. Y la persona que recibió el regalo no hizo nada para ganarse este regalo, ¿verdad? Quiero decir, no eligió nacer el día que sea; y, además, no hay nada particularmente digno de regalos por haber nacido en un día determinado. Por lo tanto, un regalo dado a celebrar el cumpleaños de alguien es verdaderamente un regalo, ya que es a la vez dado libremente e inmerecido por el que lo recibe.

          Cuando miramos esta historia que acabamos de contar del Evangelio de Juan, vemos en la acción de Jesús más que solo un modelo de cómo tratarnos unos a otros; más bien, vemos un regalo. Jesús, el maestro y líder de esta banda de discípulos, no les debe nada a estos hombres. En todo caso, estos hombres deberían ser los que lavan los pies de Jesús. Sin embargo, Jesús elige libremente lavarse los pies, demostrando cuán devoto está con ellos al ofrecerles este regalo de servicio amoroso inmerecido, llamándolo un "modelo a seguir". Pedro, tal vez hablando en nombre de los otros discípulos, no comprende la acción de Jesús como un regalo y al principio la rechaza, pero luego pide más de lo que se le daba. En otras palabras, parece como si solo quisiera el regalo de Jesús si pudiera tenerlo "a su manera". Solo después de los eventos del Viernes Santo podrá entender el regalo que se les ha dado.

          El Papa emérito Benedicto XVI ha dicho que "ser cristiano es ante todo un don ..." A partir de esta noche, meditamos en los dones que Jesús nos ha dado: el don de la Eucaristía, el don del sacerdocio y el don de este "modelo a seguir". Durante estos próximos tres días meditaremos profundamente sobre estos dones a la luz del don que los unifica a todos—un regalo dado libremente y del cual no merecemos nada—el sacrificio de su vida para que podamos tener la vida eterna.

          Tal vez esta noche nos encontramos como Pedro, indispuestos a aceptar el regalo de Jesús, ya que se ha dado o tal vez incluso pidiendo más de lo ofrecido (en otras palabras, tratando de tenerlo a nuestra manera). Si es así, recemos hoy y por estos tres días para que también podamos ser como Pedro en el Domingo de Pascua: humilde pero alegre ante el Cristo resucitado, cuyo don, el sacrificio de su Cuerpo y Sangre—su Cuerpo y Sangre viviente—aún se nos está dando.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – March 29^th, 2018

Dado en la parroquia Todos los Santos: Logansport, IN – 1º de abril, 2018

It is finished.

Homily: Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion – Cycle C

          It is finished.  Although it’s difficult for us to forget something that we already know, let’s imagine for a moment that we are hearing these words for the first time.  Let’s imagine that we don’t know, as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.”

          Imagine a mother and a friend, looking up on the one they love so dear now horribly disfigured—and how their own countenances have been disfigured by their sorrow.  Intense fear and agony overwhelm them, yet we can imagine that there was still hope: hope that in spite of all the mocking and jeering he may yet work a miracle that would save him from this death. /// “It is finished.” /// Even for these, the ones who were closest to Christ’s heart, as the resurrection was yet unknown to them, these words must have cast a shadow of doubt on their hope in the fulfillment of all that God had promised them throughout the ages.

          Imagine also a crowd of priests and soldiers, looking with anxiety to ensure the execution is completed.  As the intensity of their fervor diminishes—as the intensity of their mocking and jeering subsides—imagine that a certain uneasiness crept into their hearts. /// “It is finished.” /// Outwardly, they agree and are satisfied; yet inwardly their consciences continue to question.

          Imagine the disciples who didn’t follow their master to that hill, those who were afraid and hid away.  Imagine their questions to those who returned.  “What happened?”  “Did they kill him?”  “Did he say anything before he died?” /// “It is finished.” /// The intensity of their fear spikes as they hear these words.  Immediately they are flooded with confusion and doubt about their future, about what it will mean to be a follower of his way.  In the days following, fishermen will return to their nets, women will prepare the final burial spices, and pilgrims will walk the long road back to their homes questioning how this could have been the end.

          It is only the light of the resurrection, however, that can reveal that what is finished—that is, what has ended—is not our hope in one who can save, but rather our slavery to sin.  Christ proclaimed these words from the cross as a definitive statement to the evil one that his reign had ended and that death—Satan’s last power over man—had been forever destroyed.

          Today, we recall these words as a reminder to each of us that what Christ accomplished on the cross wasn’t just for a few people in a specific place and at a specific time, but rather that it was for all people of all places in all times… including right here and right now.  Therefore, my friends, let us listen closely to these words of Christ: for in them he says to each of us, “Your life of sin is over.  It is finished.”  May this end that we remember today lead us to begin our lives in Christ anew.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – March 25^th, 2016

Jesus' final acts / Los actos finales de Jesus

Homily: Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper – Cycle C

          We all know that a person’s last words are important.  This is particularly true when someone we love dies.  Whether a person’s death happens suddenly or after an extended illness, once the person has died most people instinctively think about their last conversation with that person and what was said.  “Just be for she drifted off, mom looked around and said that she loved us all.”  “As I sat there with him, dad looked over at me and said, ‘Take care of your mother for me, okay?’”  These last words from someone we care about have the power to shape our lives in the weeks, months, and years following our loved one’s death.

          Sometimes, however, there aren’t any words.  Perhaps the death came so suddenly that no one talked to the person before he or she died.  In this case, those left behind often look back to the things that were happening in their loved one’s life in the days and weeks leading up to his or her death.  “I thought it was weird that dad was doing all of that, but now it makes sense.  He must have been getting ready to die.”  “We thought mom was crazy, going through all of her old stuff and either giving it to us or getting rid of it.  She must have known that this was coming.”  Sometimes the last actions of our loved ones can be just as powerful as their last words.

          Certainly this applies to the disciples of Jesus.  One of the many traditions of Good Friday is the Tre Ore service, which includes reflections on the “seven last words” of Jesus from the Cross.  Knowing the anguish that he was suffering—and, thus, how difficult it was for him to speak—means that these words hold extra weight for us, his followers.  But Jesus’ last actions are also significant for us; and it is these that we remember tonight.

          In this Mass of the Lord’s Supper we celebrate and remember both the institution of the priesthood and the institution of the Eucharist; and the Scriptures we read tonight teach us something of what Jesus was telling us by performing these last actions.  By bending down and washing the feet of his disciples—the twelve apostles, his first priests—Jesus is teaching us both about the Eucharist, in which he lowers himself to become fully present to us in the form of bread and wine, and about the priesthood: that it is a ministry of service to one and to all.  In doing so, Jesus both invites us to his table and gives us an example we must follow.  Saint Augustine spoke eloquently of this and his words are worth quoting at length:

This is surely what we read in [the book of Proverbs]: “If you sit down to eat at the table of a ruler, observe carefully what is set before you; then stretch out your hand, knowing that you must provide the same kind of meal yourself.”  What is this ruler’s table if not the one at which we receive the body and blood of him who laid down his life for us?  What does it mean to sit at this table if not to approach it with humility?  What does it mean to observe carefully what is set before you if not to meditate devoutly on so great a gift?  What does it mean to stretch out one’s hand, knowing that one must provide the same kind of meal oneself, if not what I have just said: as Christ laid down his life for us, so we in our turn ought to lay down our lives for our brothers?  This is what the apostle Paul said: “Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we might follow in his footsteps.”

This is what is meant by providing “the same kind of meal.”  This is what the blessed martyrs did with such burning love.  If we are to give true meaning to our celebration of their memorials, to our approaching the Lord’s table in the very banquet at which they were fed, we must, like them, provide “the same kind of meal.”

          Todos sabemos que las últimas palabras de una persona son importantes. Esto es particularmente cierto cuando un ser querido se muere. Si la muerte de una persona pasa repentinamente o después de una enfermedad prolongada, cuando la persona ha muerto la mayoría de la gente instintivamente piensan en su última conversación con esa persona y lo que se dijo. Estas últimas palabras de un ser querido tienen el poder de dar forma a nuestras vidas en las semanas, meses y años después de la muerte de nuestro ser querido.

          A veces, sin embargo, no hay palabras. Tal vez la muerte vino tan repentinamente que nadie hablaba con la persona antes de que él o ella se murió. En este caso, los que se quedan a menudo mirar hacia atrás a las cosas que estaban ocurriendo en la vida de sus seres queridos en los días y semanas previas a su muerte. A veces, las últimas acciones de nuestros seres queridos pueden ser tan poderoso como sus últimas palabras.

          Ciertamente esto se aplica a los discípulos de Jesús. Una de las numerosas tradiciones de Viernes Santo es el servicio Tre Ore, que incluye reflexiones sobre las "siete últimas palabras" de Jesús de la Cruz. Conociendo la angustia que sufría—y, por lo tanto, lo difícil que era hablar para él—significa que estas palabras tienen un peso extra para nosotros, sus seguidores. Pero las últimas acciones de Jesús son importantes para nosotros también; y son éstas las que recordamos esta noche.

          En esta misa de la Cena del Señor celebramos y recordamos tanto la institución del sacerdocio y la institución de la Eucaristía; y las Escrituras que leemos esta noche nos enseñan algo de lo que Jesús nos estaba diciendo mediante la realización de estas últimas acciones. Al doblarse abajo y lavar los pies de sus discípulos (los doce apóstoles, sus primeros sacerdotes) Jesús nos está enseñando tanto acerca de la Eucaristía, en la que se rebaja a ser plenamente presente para nosotros en la forma de pan y vino, y sobre el sacerdocio: que es un ministerio de servicio a uno y a todos. De este modo, Jesús tanto nos invita a su mesa y nos da un ejemplo que debemos seguir.

          Esta noche, Mis hermanos y hermanas, reconocemos tanto lo que hemos recibido y lo que estamos llamados a dar. Por sus acciones, nuestro Señor nos ha mostrado lo que tenemos que ofrecer a los demás y la forma en que se le proporcione. Que estos tres días nos llene de la gracia de entregarnos al máximo y por lo tanto ser brillante testigos de la gloria y la misericordia de Dios tanto a nuestra comunidad y a nuestro mundo.

          Tonight, my brothers and sisters, we acknowledge both what we’ve received and what we’re called to give.  By his actions, our Lord has shown us “the kind of meal” that we must provide to others and how we are to provide it.  May these three days fill us with the grace to give ourselves to the fullest and thus to be shining witnesses of God’s glory and mercy both to our community and to our world.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – March 24^th, 2016