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He is Risen!

We believe, indeed we know, that Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter Sunday. He broke the chains of death and rose to a new way of living and loving beyond our wildest imagining. The resurrection was an earth shattering event, the most important event in human history and it has many implications for us and for the way we live our lives.

One implication of the resurrection is the fact that Jesus is still with us. The presence and power of the risen Jesus permeate our lives. As a consequence of the resurrection Jesus is no longer limited by time and space. He is present to us and with us at every moment of every day. He is the invisible companion of our life’s journey. We do not have to wait for heaven to experience the friendship, the healing, the peace and the joy of the risen Jesus. These things are already available to us. The risen Jesus is already working in our lives. He is involved with us here and now.

A second implication of the resurrection has to do with the mission of Jesus. The resurrection was a vindication of the way Jesus lived his life. It was a confirmation of the values Jesus practised, preached and died for. The way of Jesus works. When Jesus was nailed to the cross on Good Friday it seemed as if his mission was a failure, that he was a dreamer who offered the world an unrealistic vision of happiness. His resurrection changed this, it transformed it. Jesus was no dreamer. His values of justice and compassion and service and humility and forgiveness are in fact the only values that work. His values are the values that make the world a better place and that bring us personal fulfilment. The resurrection of Jesus was proof that love is stronger that hate, goodness is greater than evil, life is more powerful than death.

Of course another implication of the resurrection is that our death is not the end. What happened to Jesus on Easter Sunday will happen to us. We will share in the risen life of Jesus when we die. Because of the resurrection of Jesus we have a life to look forward to beyond the grave. Because of the resurrection of Jesus a new world will be opened up to us on the other side of death. Because Jesus rose from the dead the place we call heaven is our destiny, our destination, our future home. Indeed, in the words of St Paul, it is our true home. For those who believe in Jesus and in the power of his resurrection the future is bright because the best is yet to come. It is with good reason that we can say, ‘It belongs to the Christian to hope!’

To Whom Shall We Go?

As the coronavirus spreads across the world most of our activities have ceased and our earth has fallen silent. Covid 19 is a huge challenge to our values, our lifestyle and even to our religious beliefs and practices. The contagious and deadly impact of this virus is causing many of us to experience feelings of fear, anxiety, insecurity and vulnerability. Each of us has to find our own way of dealing with these feelings. One way is to turn to God.

If we chose to turn to God what do we need to know about God that will offer us some comfort and hope? There are three things we can say with certainty about the God of Jesus.

The first thing is the personal nature of the God of Jesus. The God of Jesus is a personal God who knows each of us individually and uniquely. “I have called you by your name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). “I have carved your name on the palm of my hand” (Isaiah 49:16). Each of us is a name to God, not a number. Of this we can be sure. Here is how the psalmist describes the intimate knowledge God has of every human person, “O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising. You mark when I walk or lie down, all my ways lie open to you. For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being, for the wonders of all your creation. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and moulded in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139). Then of course there were the actions of Jesus who was the human face of God. When one sheep out of a hundred strayed and got lost he went in search of it until he found it. Jesus forgot no one and included everyone.

The second thing we know about the God of Jesus has to do with unconditional love. The God of Jesus loves each and every one of us unconditionally. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). “You are precious in my eyes and honoured and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4). “You are my beloved son/daughter in whom I take delight” (Mark 1:11). God cannot not love us unconditionally because God is unconditional love. We may find it difficult to love ourselves unconditionally but we must not project this unto God. In the words of Pope Francis, “When all is said and done we are infinitely loved.” We are infinitely loved and nothing can change this fact. The only real biblical promise is that unconditional love will have the final say.

The third thing we can be certain of is that the God of Jesus will not allow evil and its consequence, death, to destroy us. We need to know that we are safe. We also need to know that we are not going to be annihilated. The God of Jesus assures us that he is in control and that he is faithful to all that he has created. “Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you. Should you pass through the sea, I will be with you; or through rivers, they will not swallow you up. Should you walk through fire, you will not be scorched and the flames will not burn you, for I am your God, your saviour. Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:1-7). The God of Jesus raised Jesus from the dead and he will give life to our mortal bodies too. God’s message to us is clear: Love is stronger than hate; goodness greater than evil; life more powerful than death. The God of Jesus is in control of life and death. We have nothing to fear. Because of God’s presence in our lives, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” (Julian of Norwich).

During this time of world crisis when we are likely to feel a sense of helplessness, powerlessness and insecurity we may find some reassurance and comfort in this short prayer of faith:

God, the Father of Jesus,

I believe that you

Know me personally,

Love me unconditionally,

Save me from evil and death.

Help me to trust you,

To have faith that all will be well. Amen.

Love Alone Remains

Love is probably the most used word in our vocabulary. It is also probably the most abused word. When we are young we think that love is a nice feeling. As we get older we come to see that love is also a decision and a commitment.

In the world of Jesus, love is indeed about affection and companionship. But it is also about putting the needs of others before our own, at least sometimes. Charity, which is the way God loves, is loving others for their own sake, for their own good. This is the love a Christian is asked to practice. It is a love that often costs.

Of course in the world of Jesus love of God and love of neighbour cannot be separated. They are both sides of the one coin. One is an expression of the other; one the test of the other. To love God is to love our neighbour and to love our neighbour is to love God. Those who love their neighbour belong to the Kingdom of God whether they realise it or not. This is why we cannot limit the Kingdom of God to a particular religion or church.

The Carmelite mystic, Saint John of the Cross, once said, “In the evening of life we will be examined in love.” When we die the only thing we can take with us to God is the love in our hearts. Everything else we must leave behind. The love in our hearts is all that God will be interested in.

The purpose of life is to learn the art of loving. Perhaps this is what William Blake meant when he wrote, “We are put on this earth a little space that we might learn to bear the beams of love.” Perhaps too it is what we are being invited to acknowledge and accept during this painful time in our history when the coronavirus is spreading across the world.

Lockdown

Yes, there is fear. Yes, there is isolation. Yes there is panic buying. Yes, there is sickness. Yes, there is even death. But ….

They say that in Wuhan, after so many years of noise, you can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet, the sky is no longer thick with fumes, but blue and grey and clear. They say that in the streets of Assisi people are singing to each other across the empty squares, keeping their windows open so that those who are alone may hear the sounds of family around them. They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound. Today a young woman I know is busy spreading fliers with her phone number through her neighbourhood, so that elders may have someone to call on. Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary.

All over the world, people are slowing down and reflecting. All over the world, people are looking at their neighbours in a new way. All over the world, people are waking up to a new reality – to how big we really are; to how little control we really have; to what really matters; to Love. So we pray, and we remember that yes, there is fear, but there does not have to be hate. Yes there is isolation, but there does not have to be loneliness. Yes, there is panic buying, but there does not have to be meanness. Yes, there is sickness, but there does not have to be disease of the soul. Yes, there is even death, but there can always be a rebirth of love. Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now. Today, breathe, listen. Behind the factory noises of your panic the birds are singing again; the sky is clearing; and we are always encompassed by Love. Open the windows of your soul, and though you may not be able to touch across the empty Square – Sing.

Fr Richard Hendrick OFM

Lent: Almsgiving

The third thing the Lenten season invites us to practise is almsgiving. Jesus insisted that we care for those in need and that we do this without looking for a reward. “When you give alms, your left hand must not know what you right hand is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:3-4).

We can look at almsgiving in the specific and concrete sense of offering practical help to those who are hungry or homeless or without clothes. In Matthew’s Gospel chapter 25 Jesus makes it clear that this kind of charity is a non-negotiable essential for his followers. “When I was hungry you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty you gave me to drink; when I was sick or in prison you came to see me…. For as long as you did this to one of the least of my brothers and sisters you did it to me.”

But we also need to look at almsgiving in the much broader sense of our attitude to life. The late actress, Audrey Hepburn, once said, “As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping other people.” Our lives are not just about ourselves and our own needs. Our lives are also for others. When we serve others we are making a difference to their lives. We are also making a difference to our own. In fact, we are becoming who we are meant to be. We are showing love and love is the meaning and purpose of life. It is a truth that unless and until we give our lives away to others we do not seem to have them ourselves at any deep level.

Lent: Fasting

Perhaps the thing we most associate with Lent is fasting. Jesus knew the value of fasting and promoted it in his teaching. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries saw fasting as physical and public acts of penance which they used to promote their ‘holy image’. “When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father” (Matt 6:16-18). Obviously Jesus wasn’t convinced by the practice of fasting used by the Pharisees. He knew there is a tendency in human nature towards attachment and addiction that is not healthy and balanced.

For Jesus fasting is not just about giving up things like sweets or cigarettes or alcohol. It is more about what we need to do to keep our hearts mellow and grateful. To keep our hearts mellow and grateful we certainly need to control our desire for possessions and power and popularity. As Jesus himself discovered during his retreat in the desert these are potent demons in the human heart that need to be tamed.

Fasting is unfashionable among Christians today. Yet never has it been so necessary. In the so called first world which is mainly nominally Christian we are now the most indebted, obese, addicted and medicated generation in history. Jesus’ teaching on fasting has the power to improve our health, our relationships and our environment. Yes, the real cause of climate change is our unwillingness to say, ‘I have enough.’ To fast is to say, ‘I have enough.’ Lent is a good opportunity to identify some area in my life that is out of control and to say, ‘enough is enough!’

Lent: Prayer

It is no secret that the religion of Jesus can be summed up in the word love. But Jesus is no dreamer. He knows that the reality of evil and the wounds we carry can make it difficult for us to love. For this reason the main thrust of his teaching is focused on what it is that creates a loving heart. Right in the middle of his Sermon on the Mount Jesus mentions three things which could be described as a practical programme to help us grow in love. These are the three things the Christian Churches invite its members to practise in earnest each year during the season of Lent. They could be described as the non-negotiable essentials of the Christian religion. They are prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Significantly they are three of the five pillars of Islam.

Jesus’ teaching about God is clear and simple. “Say this when you pray, Our Father in heaven” (Matt 6:9). “You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father and he is in heaven” (Matt 23:9). “Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Set your hearts on his kingdom first and all these other things will be given you as well” (Matt 6:32-33). Jesus teaches that God is our Father whom we can call Abba. Jesus’ Abba is in relationship with each of us. He knows each of us personally and loves each of us unconditionally. Abba is looking after us and providing for our needs.

If the God of Jesus is called Abba then prayer is spending time with God who is a tender and affectionate Father. “When you pray, go to your private room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in that secret place” (Matt 6:6). What a beautiful and accessible description of the activity of prayer! Spend time on your own with your Father. During this time thank him for his presence in your life and for looking after you. Talk to him in a personal way about what is happening in your life. Ask him for the things you need, especially the things you need to help you develop a loving heart. And, perhaps most importantly of all, hear him tell you that he loves you unconditionally, as you are. For Jesus prayer is nothing more and nothing less than our personal act of surrender to the Father; to the Father’s love, to his care and to his help. It is an act of surrender we need to make every day.

Lent

Today, Ash Wednesday, the annual Christian fasting season known as Lent begins. Most great world religions have an annual fasting season. The Christian one lasts for forty days and significantly coincides with spring. There are many reasons why it is good to have a fasting season. Let me mention a few.

It offers us an opportunity to start again, to make a new beginning. Failing and falling are part of the human condition. In the Christian view of life failing and falling should never be a cause for despondency or despair. The God of Jesus is a God of abundant mercy and radical forgiveness, a God who wipes out past failures and invites us to make a fresh start. We should never be reluctant to begin again. New beginnings are a necessary part of the Christian journey.

Lent is also an ideal time to restore the balance in our lives. Virtue is the happy medium, the golden mean. But the golden mean is hard to achieve. There is a tendency in human nature to over indulge, to develop addictions, to abuse our bodies, to become overly preoccupied with work, to neglect important relationships, to put too much emphasis on our material needs and not enough on our emotional and spiritual needs. Lent provides us with an opportunity to reintroduce a healthy diet; a healthy diet of food, of exercise, of relaxation, of prayer. Restoring the balance in our lives helps us to sort out what is good for us and what is bad for us.

Lent is the Christian fasting season which means that it should be focused on Jesus who is the Christ. There is really only one yardstick with which to measure the success of our Lenten fasting: Does it enable us to become more like Jesus? The goal of Lent is to get rid of the ‘old man’ which is the selfish me and to put on the ‘New Man’ which is the loving Christ. Ultimately, Lent is about Jesus, not about us. It is about Jesus’ vision of life, his values and the building of his Kingdom in the world. Therefore the best type of fasting we can do in Lent is the fasting that helps us to pay greater attention to Jesus and move closer to him.

The Heart’s Journey Home

“You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” These are the often quoted words of St Augustine. There is a longing in the human heart to come home. It is a longing for God who is the fulfilment of our hearts’ desires.

The longing in the human heart to come home is a longing to be held in the tender embrace of God, the Father of Jesus. It is a longing to live in the Father’s house. It is a longing for a room in the Father’s house, a room of our own where we can experience our belovedness, be ourselves and find peace. Jesus knows the longing we have inside us. This is why he tells us, “There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I go now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too” (John 14: 2-3).

The journey through life is the journey home. But we cannot make the journey home alone; we are not meant to make the journey home alone. We need the companionship of other people. Without the companionship of other people we wither and die inside, emotionally and spiritually. The idea that the Christian journey is a private one is false thinking. Jesus gathered companions around him and so must we. We go to God with and through other people. On the journey home we also need the companionship of Jesus. Jesus walks the road of life with us. He is the invisible companion of our life’s journey. He helps us find our way home. This is what Jesus means when he says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John: 14:6). To call Jesus our Saviour is to accept that we need his help and guidance to find our way home to the Father’s house. The heart’s journey home is a journey best made in the company of Jesus.

Compassion

Abraham Lincoln was once challenged by his supporters about why he reached out to his political opponents and offered them positions in his government. In reply Lincoln said: “When I make friends with my enemies then they are no longer my enemies.” Lincoln’s answer was a simple statement of the obvious. But it required greatness to put the obvious into practice.

If there is one thing we human beings have repeatedly failed to do down through history it is to love our enemies and to forgive those who offend us. As a consequence we have experienced war, after war, after war. There is nothing more futile than war, nothing more destructive, nothing more devastating to the human spirit. Yet we persist in using it as a way of settling disputes, of defeating our enemies and as a means of asserting our power and gaining control.

It is understandable that one of the major concerns of Jesus was the building of community. Jesus offered people a way of living together that would both respect difference and create unity and peace. For Jesus the key to creating community was compassion. “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:36). This one simple instruction is at the very heart of Jesus’ teaching. Some would even say that it sums up his teaching.

Compassion begins with acceptance, unconditional acceptance of others. Unconditional acceptance means that I accept others no matter what their colour, class, culture, religion and sexual orientation might be. Compassion is also about my willingness to understand the experience of others, to listen to their stories, to hear what they are saying, to learn where they are coming from, to stand in their shoes. In its purest form compassion is about my capacity to enter into the life of another at the level of emotion, where my heart knows the heart of the other. Compassion is what distinguishes the follower of Jesus; it is the mark of a true Christian. It is the way to end war and conflict and create real community among the peoples of the world. Compassion has its source in God who is compassion itself. It is a gift, a gift that we must pray for, and pray for every day.