THE CRUCIFIED HAS RISEN AND HE IS LORD

EASTER SUNDAY - Colossians 3:1-4

Easter is always a celebration of life, of salvation, of victory and of resurrection, and this year is even more so, as we realise that this victory of life comes from the merciful love of God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Before the account of the Last Supper, John tells us that 

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (Jn 13:1)

This love comes from the Father, who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16).

In his great love, Jesus carried the weight of our sins, being crushed by them. He died on the cross for us, being faithful up to the end.

“Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

 and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11)

The logo of this year of the Jubilee of Mercy expresses well what we are celebrating.

We can see the Crucified 

who has risen from the dead 

and is crowned with glory. 

He is the Good Shepherd

carrying the sick and wounded

on his shoulders with love.

He brings us out of darkness

into the light of his glory.

With him, we rise from the dead

and being one with him,

we become like him.

We are a new creation,

with the glory of God

shining on our faces,

the glory of God’s merciful love.

With this love in our hearts,

we can cooperate in the transformation of the world.

May you be filled with the joy of the resurrection

and the blessings of the Risen Lord.

Happy Easter.

Fr. José

**

THE  LAMB

(a poem of William Blake)

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee? 

Gave thee life, and bid thee feed, 

By the stream and o'er the mead; 

Gave thee clothing of delight; 

Softest clothing, wooly, bright; 

Gave thee such a tender voice, 

Making all the vales rejoice;

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee: 

He is called by thy name, 

For He calls Himself a Lamb. 

He is meek, and He is mild; 

He became a little child. 

I a child, and thou a lamb, 

We are called by His name.

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

THE MADNESS OF VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF GOD

GOOD FRIDAY - Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Crimes against the innocent have been committed in all ages by people who claim total submission to God. That is evil that presents itself as good.

The cross and the crown of thorns  are symbols of that  evil.  They are not a piece of decoration which we hang on the walls of our houses or carry around our necks, helping us to feel good and protected. The cross was an instrument of torture and execution.

This violence becomes even more violent when inflicted upon the innocent. It goes hand in hand with injustice and oppression. And evil men always find a way of justifying themselves and demonising those they consider to be enemies.

Jesus was accused of being a false prophet, of misleading the people and fomenting revolt. He was accused of being power hungry and of high treason against the state. It does not matter that the accusations were fabricated. For the powerful all means are good in order to silence any challenging voice, mainly the voice of truth and the voice of love.

In Jesus’ case, as in so many cases throughout history, the religious authorities colluded with the State to squash the challenge presented by Jesus.

As we look at the pain and suffering of Jesus, let us open our eyes and look at the pain and suffering of the innocent at the hands of evil people who claim to be good.

One hears with horror the news of violence and of people ready to commit suicide in order to multiply the casualties. It was in France and now in Belgium. It is in Syria and Iraq - by the Islamic State; and it is Nigeria and neighbouring countries by the Boko Haram. Claiming obedience to God, they shed the blood of innocent people.

However, it is not surprising. They are just following in the footsteps of their violent founder. Indeed, there is an abysm between Jesus Christ and Muhammad. Jesus preached non-violence and died on the cross. Following in his footsteps, since the very beginning, thousands of Christians have paid with their blood their faithfulness to Jesus. Muhammad, on the other hand, organised an army and imposed himself as a prophet with the sword in his hand. He created a religion and an empire. His aim and the aim of those who faithfully follow him was and is to impose Islam on the whole world, as we can find in traditions about the prophet:

“Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' and whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,' his life and property will be saved by me except for Islamic law, and his accounts will be with Allah, (either to punish him or to forgive him.)”  (from Al Bukhari, volume 4, book 52, number 196)

“While we were in the Mosque, the Prophet came out and said, "Let us go to the Jews" We went out till we reached Bait-ul- idras. He said to them, "If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land. So, if anyone amongst you owns some property, he is permitted to sell it, otherwise you should know that the Earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle.” (from Al Bukhari, volume 4, book 53, number 392.

Up to today, Christians are the most persecuted of all religious groups, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and that happens mainly in muslim countries.

Jesus did not embrace violence. He embraced the cross, transforming it through his love and faithfulness into a sign of blessing.

“though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

 but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

 he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8).

JESUS CAME TO SERVE, NOT TO BE SERVED

TRIDUUM PASCAL - MAUNDY THURSDAY

In the Holy Week, there are three days that are set apart, being considered the most holy - we call them the Tritium Pascal, that’s Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

They are like a summary of Jesus’ life and ministry and so a summary of what it means to be a Christian.

We can put forward three images:

As a slave, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples

As a slave accused of high treason, Jesus dies on the cross

The silence and darkness of death, which open into the glorious light and the victorious song of resurrection.

Jesus made it very clear in his teaching and in his practice that he came to serve not to be served. He was not a man of violence but of peace. He came for the poor and oppressed and for all those who are ready to repent and to accept God’s loving mercy.

After washing his disciples’ feet, he explained his action:

You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. (Jn 13:13-15).

Throughout the centuries, many times the church has gone astray, being unfaithful to Jesus’ teaching and example. That comes from our sin. However, time and again, the Church sets forward the ideal presented by Jesus. Blessed are the peace makers, they are the children of God. As Christians we are called to carry the cross, that is to undergo persecution and oppression, not to inflict suffering and death on others. We are called to put ourselves at the service of life and not to be instruments of death. Jesus was ready to lay down his life for humanity; and he scolded Peter when he tried to shed blood.

His service comes from his love. 

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (Jn 13: 1). 

He calls us to his table and serves us with his food, in which he himself becomes our food. He commanded his disciples to do the same time and again in his remembrance. That’s why we celebrate the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist - a gift of love for his Church - we remember and celebrate Jesus’ attitude of service, his faithfulness up to the cross, his death and resurrection, so that we may find the courage and the strength to sow seeds of love and mercy and to bring the peace of the Kingdom of God into the world.

HOSANNA! PLEASE, SAVE US!

PALM SUNDAY - Luke 19:28-40

With Palm Sunday we start a very special time in the Christian calendar, which we call Holy Week - a week consecrated to the remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ life and specially of his passion, death and resurrection. It is a week in which our hearts and minds move around Jesus Christ.

We start in a joyous mood with the Palm procession, but that quickly gives place to grief and sorrow, which goes together with the awareness of sin in our lives and in our society. The power of evil is present everywhere and most of the time seems to have the upper hand. But that Friday, when Jesus died on the cross, is not called a black Friday, instead we call it a Good Friday, because Jesus’ faithfulness was the way to his victory. We will end the Holy Week with the big feast of Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ victory.

Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. As the approached the city, people coming from all over Palestine and beyond would start forming crowds walking together and would enter Jerusalem singing, at same time being welcome by the people living in the city. Being recognised as a prophet, Jesus became the centre of people’s attention. As they acclaimed him as the Messiah, they called for his intervention.

People shouted Hosanna! The word was misunderstood already in the first Christian communities: “Hosanna in the highest heaven” (Mk 11:10), in which the word is taken as an acclamation of glory. However, hosanna was a cry for deliverance: Save, please! Save, we beseech (Ps 118:25). It was the cry address to Jesus as the Messiah, a cry which was considered as a cry of revolt against the Roman occupation. That’s why within a week, the leaders got rid of him, having him crucified.

In this Palm Sunday, we are called to acclaim Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah and to call upon him to save us. However, crowds turn with the wind: they acclaim you today and tomorrow they shout you down. And we are part of those crowds. It was so with the Apostles, and so it is with us. With easiness and sometimes without regret, we turn our backs on Jesus Christ. At least, we can learn with Peter to come back and cry tears of repentance.

Hosanna! Pleas, save us! 

MERCIFUL JUSTICE

V SUNDAY OF LENT - Jn 8:1-11

Human justice is full of hypocrisy and many times it is mixed with revenge. The ones judging and condemning are pitiless and harsh in their self-righteousness, as if they are better than the one they condemn.

A few months ago, the news reported about a very old man who had been a guard in one of Hitler’s prison camps. He was going to be tried, accused of participating in the execution of prisoners. It is true that, as they say in Bemba, a case never gets rotten. But it sounded more like revenge than justice, forgetting that in their hearts dwells the same kind of evil. If they lived under the same circumstances, they would do the same or even worse, because very few people are ready to die for not compromising their principles.

In the gospel, we are presented with the woman caught in adultery, and with all the harshness and blindness of their hearts, the Pharisees wanted to stone her in the name of the law. They forgot that one does not commit adultery alone. Then, how could they have caught only one?

Nowadays, in the news, time and again, we hear similar stories. In most of the muslim countries, a woman who becomes pregnant because of rape, is accused of adultery, and punished. It is not surprising, since Muhammad did the same:

“Go to the wife of this (man) and if she confesses (that she has committed illegal sexual intercourse), then stone her to death.” (from Al Bukhara, Volume 3, Book 38, Number 508)

Justice confused with revenge leads to destruction and death. For Jesus, justice goes with mercy and compassion, and only in that way can we overcome the evil in our hearts and find peace.

Jesus’ question to the accusers who wanted to kill the woman is addressed also to each one of us:

“If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7).

We need to learn from Christ, as Paul did

I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him - Phil 3:8

Let us make Christ the centre of our lives and with him we will learn to be merciful.

EXPERIENCING GOD’S MERCY

IV SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 15:1-3,11-32

According to Paul, God is reconciling the world to himself, and he does it through Jesus Christ. And that is great news, and we are entrusted with the proclamation of that news.

Pope Francis proclaimed the Jubilee of mercy for that purpose: To proclaim that God is more than willing to reconcile humanity to himself, and to make everybody aware of God’s mercy. Paul tells us that God is making an appeal through us: “Be reconciled with God”. (2 Co 5:17-21)

In the gospel, the parable of the father who had two sons presents two possible attitudes before the merciful God:

faced with our sin and the destruction that it does to our lives, we recognise and accept God’s mercy. That is the attitude of the prodigal son. Although being a sinner, he was able to remember his father’s kindness and to trust his mercy, making it possible for him to go back and be reconciled with the father.

considering ourselves sinless and righteous, we are not in need of forgiveness; in fact, we may see God’s mercy to others as being unfair to us. That is the attitude of the elder son. He was Mr. Right; and so right he was that he was able to see injustice and discrimination in his father’s kindness and love. He did not ask for mercy. How could he, if he did not need it. And so he was not able to be merciful and to reconcile with his brother (Lk 15:11-32)

The experience of God’s mercy is essential for us to be merciful. The ability to forgive and to reconcile is the greatest expression of love. That’s why, as God’s children, we are told to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful (Lk 6:36)