Behold the Mighty One, the Lord, our King!

In the Entrance Antiphon of today's liturgy, we pray:  "Behold the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power and dominion." 

In the news every day we are bombarded by claims of leaders throughout the world of their alleged power, dominion and efforts to be "king" of the world, one vying against another for power and control!  Or we are showered by other's claims of the "greatness" of the person they perceive as "almighty" and as the one who will save us from the mire into which we have fallen and continue to fall!

There is one king, Christ, the Lord, "the Mighty One".  Kingship, power and dominion rest in His hands and His alone.  We wait for God's glorious intervention, as the immorality, the corruption, the deception, the criminality dominating the world, I believe,  is beyond our power to transform. We need and await God's intervention, as we strive personally to live hold lives. The Scriptures tells us that our God comes with power to save us. There is no one here on earth, in any country, capable of saving us from evil powers that are rampant throughout the world!

Today we celebrate the feast of Epiphany--God reveals Himself as King of all the earth and all who live on it.  Isaiah, in today's first reading, beckons us to "[r]ise up in splendor...Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples [who choose evil, live corrupt lives, are slaves to Satan's lies, and who are chasing God substitutes]; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.....[Like the Magi who brought gifts to the newborn king] you shall be radiant at what you see [when you seek God above all else and place your trust in Him, the Mighty One], and your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you [as you seek the Lord and sing His praises]!"

May you and I, like the Magi, seek and find Jesus, following the light of His guidance today and every day!  Our  lives will then overflow with praise and gratitude, as did the lives of the Magi!

Why Am I Looking for Jesus

In today's Gospel, John 6: 22-29, the 5000+ people who had been fed by Jesus go looking for him.  His disciples had left to go across the sea to Capernaum but Jesus had not gone with them.  When these people find Jesus, He reads their hearts, knowing that they simply  want more to eat. "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not look for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him, the Father, God, has set his seal."  The people then inquire of him what they can do "accomplish the work of God".  Jesus replies: "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

I suggest that we ask ourselves the question: For whom/what am I looking? Am I truly looking for the things of heaven, for the strength I need to be God's co-worker here on earth in building a Kingdom of love, mercy and peace?  Am I looking for the wisdom to make a difference in the world and to bring forth new life out of that which depletes life, out of the stirred-up chaos, the "muddy messiness" of our lives so that new life emerges?  Or do I go running to Jesus simply to relieve my physical hunger  and not to be empowered as co-creator,  as peacemaker, as one who makes the new happen and who turns weapons "into plowshares"(cf Joel 3:10).

"Woman, why are you weeping?"

Happy Easter! Imagine this day! The disciples are in deep mourning over the crucifixion and death of their Lord and Master. Its a bla, bleak, dark, empty day. At this point, the disciples still do not believe what Jesus told them that, in three days, he would rise again. Death would have no power over Him.  

He In today’s Gospel, John 20: 1-9,  Mary of Magdala goes to the tomb and finds it empty. Jesus is not there. Frightened that someone stole the body, she runs to Simon Peter and John and reports the empty tomb. Peter and John dash to the tomb, John arriving first but, out of respect, waits for Peter to arrive and enter the tomb. Peter finds it empty as well, the burial cloths in which the body of Jesus was wrapped neatly folded.  From Peter’s perspective, the body of Jesus is gone.

John enters the empty tomb. “He saw and believed.”

Would you be Peter or John? Would you only see an empty tomb? Are you unbelieving, going about your business today, living your life by celebrating holidays, not holy days? Is Easter only about bunnies and Easter eggs and champagne and Easter lambs to be eaten, enjoyed and then life goes on in a secular, detached, unbelieving way? Is your faith dead or dying, in a weakened state, to say the least?

Jesus, our Lord and Incarnate God, crucified, put to death, has risen. He does so quietly, so to speak, breaking the chains of death, destroying Satan’s power and opening the gates to eternal life for each  one of us.   No crowds of people witness the resurrection, as John reports it. Jesus is risen. While Peter and John went into the tomb,  Mary of Magdala stood outside the tomb weeping.  “As she wept, she stooped to look inside [after Peter and John had left], and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman why are you weeping?’  ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she replied, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’  Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She turned around then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’…” (John 20: 11-16).

For whom or what are you weeping? For whom are you looking? Do you recognize Jesus in your midst? Do you hear Jesus whispering your name? Or is Jesus not someone with whom you have a first-name relationship, a friendship that does not allow you to leave the "empty tombs" of your life until you find Him?

Come, follow me

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew , the Apostle.  Jesus spots him in his boat with his father and calls out to him: “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of people.”  Andrew immediately drops everything, leaves his father and his fishing industry to follow the Lord. He is so excited about Jesus that he finds his brother Peter and says to him: “We have found the Messiah.”  Peter, also, immediately leaves  his fishing boat to follow the Lord.

What was it about Jesus that attracted the apostles? What was it about his voice, his demeanor? 

Ever meet someone whom you could not wait to introduce to your siblings, your friends, your family?  That excitement pales, no doubt, in face of the experience of Andrew. It was the Lord, the Son of God, the Anointed One sent to this world to bring us the Good News of our salvation.  He was the one born of the Virgin Mary, of whom Mary said to the servants at the wedding feast of Cana: “Do whatever He tells you,” when she invited her Son to respond as only He could. By her invitation, Mary reveals who Jesus is to all those attending the wedding. Mary knew that her Son was no ordinary person.  He was the one sent into the world to transform it, to reconcile all humankind to His Father. He was the visible manifestation of God the Father, a God of compassion and love, a God of mercy and forgiveness—a forgiveness that would be won for us by Jesus’ obedience to the Father unto  death.

Yes, Jesus was the revelation of God, our Creator, whose plan for our salvation and the salvation of the entire world was being revealed right before Andrew’s eyes.  Come, Andrew said to his brother, I have found the Messiah!

How excited am I about Christ? Do I see in Christ the redeemer of the world? Do I see the Father reflected in the Son? And, as a baptized Christian, do I, in fact, reflect God to the world? Or are my attitudes and behaviors such that God’s light does not shine through them?

Mistaken Identity

In today's Gospel, Jn 20: 11-18, Mary Magdalen goes to the tomb. Two angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the feet where Jesus had been laid, ask Mary: "Woman, why are you weeping? They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him."  Mary turned around and there was Jesus, though she did not recognize Him, thinking He was the Gardener until He called her by name.

Many times messengers "from heaven" ask us why we are troubled, frustrated, angry, sad, weepy? What is our response?  Have we, too,  lost Jesus? Are we, too, wondering who took Him? Or is it another loss that is significant to us that we are grieving?

Mary found the One Thing necessary, the Love of her life, the One who saved her from demons that had been controlling her and alienating her from herself and others.

Have I found the Love of my life?  Have I found Jesus? Do I hear Him calling my name? Am I, in fact, even looking for Him in my life?