Living The Resurrection

Christ the Lord has risen, alleluia!

Jesus Christ, in His Resurrection, has become the hope of our future resurrection.

For many of us, the long penitential journey of Lent has come to an end, the excitement and beauty of Holy Week has passed, and the joy and celebration of Easter Sunday lies behind us.

So now what?

How does Christ’s Resurrection change my life, today?

The Catechism provides the answer:

…The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ’s works and teachings…The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life. – #651, 654

Christ opens up the way to a new life. Why do I need a new life?

For me, the answer lies in the two parts of the salvific equation.

I’M A SINNER + I CAN’T SAVE MYSELF = I NEED A SAVIOR

JESUS IS THE SAVIOR = I NEED JESUS

Now let’s break that down…

I’M A SINNER

Original sin is a doctrinal fact. The effects of original sin are manifested in my nature every day. It’s easy to talk about Adam & Eve, the serpent, and that “first” sin, but understanding how that has affected me is a different matter.

I suffer from a fallen nature.

What does that mean? Again, let’s turn to the Catechism:

As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers; subject to ignorance, suffering, and the domination of death; and inclined to sin (This inclination is called “concupiscence.”). #418

This sin thing is no joke. In this life, I’m likely or prone to be affected by a lack of knowledge or information. I’m going to experience pain and distress. I’m going to die. Oh yeah, and I’m going to be inclined to sin…the very thing that causes me to be ignorant, to suffer, and inevitably to die. How crazy is that!?

I CAN’T SAVE MYSELF

This is just a fact. First, I know that I don’t know everything. I’m affected by my lack of knowledge all the time – I make poor decisions, I have to study, I’ve been out-smarted, out-scored, out-thought. Second, I’ve experienced suffering – fevers, flus, injuries, heartaches, tears, loss, anxiety, doubt, fear. And last, I’ve been to enough funerals to know that I’m going to die. That’s REALITY. I’ll never know everything, I’m going to suffer, and I’m going to die and I can’t do anything about it.

I NEED A SAVIOR

I want out of this state of ignorance, suffering, and death. I seriously need and want a savior!

Don’t you?

So it makes sense to me, that if Someone appeared on the scene of human history and said,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word…has eternal life; he does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” – John 5:24

In other words, “I’m the Savior!” That being so, I might want to hear what He has to say. I might want to investigate His claims. I might want to try to find out if any of His promises came true.

JESUS IS THE SAVIOR

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” – Matt 20:18-19

He said it, and it all came true. That is a historical fact. The Resurrection happened, for real. In 2000 years, NO ONE has produced a body, bones, or any evidence to prove otherwise.

Think about that. JESUS ROSE.

Therefore, everything He taught and promised, by default, MUST be true. I don’t know of another person in all of human history who conquered death.

I NEED JESUS

Given all that, I need Jesus. He is the answer.

Jesus is the truth.

All the darkness of my ignorance will be enlightened by Truth Himself.

Jesus is the way.

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. – Matt 16:24

Where did Jesus go with the cross? To Calvary, to his crucifixion and death.

Suffering now has meaning. Suffering, that negative effect of original sin, now has redemptive value. No Cross, No Resurrection.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. – Phil 3:8-11

St. Paul wasn’t worried about money, a nice house, a nice horse (or car), retirement, prestige, power, or fame. He just wanted to know Jesus Christ, share in His sufferings, and attain the resurrection from the dead.

For me, that’s a game changer. I want what St. Paul wanted, for I know where he now rests. I want to be able to say with him,

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
– Phil 3:7

Jesus is the life.

“O death, where is thy sting!” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. – 1 Cor 15:55-58

Jesus is the answer to death. I will physically die, just like everyone else. But Christ has promised that this life isn’t the end, in fact He promised that one day even my body will be reunited with my soul, to dwell with Him for all eternity.

How can I be certain of that?

Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

And this is my new life. I try to live this life like the next life matters. I try to become more like Christ, and that means living the Resurrection.

May God bless you and keep you.

Alleluia, Christ Is Risen! Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

May the Risen Lord bless each of you. I wanted to share the following antiphon and prayer from today’s Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.

Our Redeemer has risen from the tomb; let us sing a hymn of praise to the Lord our God, alleluia.
– 2nd Antiphon, The Liturgy of the Hours, pg 524

God, our Father, creator of all,
today is the day of Easter joy.
This is the morning on which the Lord appeared to men
who had begun to lose hope
and opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold:
that first he must die, and then he would rise
and ascend into his Father’s glorious presence.
May the risen Lord
breathe on our minds and open our eyes
that we may know him in the breaking of bread,
and follow him in his risen life.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen. Alleluia.
– The Liturgy of the Hours, pg 526

May the grace and peace of our Risen Lord Jesus be with you and your family.

Maundy Thursday – Lessons From The Last Supper

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, solemnly commemorates the Last Supper, that sacred moment when Christ institutes the Holy Eucharist and establishes the priesthood.

Maundy Thursday is the oldest of the Holy Week observances, rich in tradition. Holy Thursday is loaded with ceremonies pointing to the “newness” of the Paschal Mysteries – the consecration of holy oils, the washing of feet, and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

On this Maundy Thursday, I want to share several lessons found in the Gospel of St. John during the Last Supper discourse.

SERVICE

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded…When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. – Jn 13:3-5, 12-15

Jesus is the model of humility. He sets an example of service. He willingly takes on the task of a servant, the washing of the feet.

During Jesus’ time the washing of feet was a common, daily task. You wore sandals or went barefoot, the roads were predominately dirt, and you had to walk everywhere. So your feet stayed dirty. When you came home, a foot bath was in order.

So how am I to wash feet?

In my day-to-day life, I have to look for opportunities to serve. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, in her Little Way, manifested this practical idea of serving God and others. She was faithful in giving to God, as acts of love, all the little tasks of the day and her interactions with others. I too have such opportunities. Whether it’s washing dishes left in the sink, helping with dinner, brushing my children’s teeth, or helping my neighbor with some task each of these can be done as an act of love for God.

Charitable initiatives within the Church are both good and important. However, the daily living of charity, especially in the home, my domestic church, is vital for my growth in holiness. God gives me so many chances to serve.

CERTITUDE

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me…Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” – Jn 14:6, 12-14

Christ’s words demand certitude in two ways. First, He demands certitude of me as a believer. Jesus wants me to ask in His Name, to come to the Father with confidence. Secondly, He demands certitude of me in His Church. Christ, having given His authority to the Church (Matt 16:19), here tells the apostles whatever they ask will be done. On this Maundy Thursday, it is Christ who institutes the Holy Eucharist. It is Christ who establishes the priesthood. Through the Eucharist and the priesthood the New Covenant is perpetuated and manifested in the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ.

LOVE

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you…This I command you, to love one another. – Jn 15:12-14, 17

All you need is love. Can that really be true? It almost seems too easy. Yet, love is a narrow path. St. Augustine once said:

Love, and do what thou wilt: whether thou hold thy peace, through love hold thy peace; whether thou cry out, through love cry out; whether thou correct, through love correct; whether thou spare, through love do thou spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good. – In epistulam Ioannis ad Parthos

Love always brings about what is good, but love also involves the cross. I grow in love as I die to myself, that is why Christ points to the laying down of one’s life for his friends. Those little opportunities of service are also opportunities to love. I must lay aside selfishness and self-seeking.

This Maundy Thursday, may each of us, confident in our Faith, strive to love and serve God and one another.

As we enter into this Easter Triduum, let our hearts be filled with sorrow for our sins, yet joy and thanksgiving for so great a Savior!

How great is our God.

May God bless you and keep you.

How To Be A Better Husband: A Reflection for Holy Week @LovingTheChurch.com

Here’s my latest post at LovingTheChurch.com – How To Be A Better Husband: A Reflection for Holy Week

This week I look at how Christ’s example, leading up to His Passion and Death, serves as a model for me as a husband. Jesus’ words and actions show me how, as a husband, I’m to love my wife.

May God bless you and keep you.

The Implications Of Faith In One God

One of my goals this year is to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I’m taking it little by little, reading a couple pages each day…so far so good.

I recently read the section entitled, THE IMPLICATIONS OF FAITH IN ONE GOD. This section was so good I just wanted to share it as well as a couple practical thoughts I had.

222 Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.

Belief demands change, belief results in action. As James 2:26 states, For as the body apart from spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. Paragraph 222 also points to another reality that there is only One God. Our culture seeks to make God relative, just as it has done with morality. The immediate response to this belief in God is love, loving with all our being. That’s hard…I certainly fall short of that. Yet I’m a firm believer in progress rather than perfection. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.”

The Catechism then lays out certain consequences that result from that reality:

223 It means coming to know God’s greatness and majesty: “Behold, God is great, and we know him not” (Job 36:26). Therefore, we must “serve God first” (St. Joan of Arc).

224 It means living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him: “What have you that you did not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7) “What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?” (Ps 116:12)

225 It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: everyone is made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26).

226 It means making good use of created things: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him:
My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you (St. Nicholas of Flüe; cf. Mt 5:29-30; 16:24-26).

227 It means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully expresses this trust:

Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes / God never changes
Patience / Obtains all
Whoever has God / Wants for nothing
God alone is enough (St. Teresa of Jesus, Poesías 30, in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, vol. III).

There are 5 consequences listed: (1) coming to know God’s greatness and majesty, (2) living in thanksgiving, (3) knowing the unity and true dignity of all men, (4) making good use of created things, and (5) trusting God in every circumstance. Let’s break this down, practically speaking.

1. coming to know God’s greatness and majesty – The Catechism points to three things in terms of this knowing. First, that “God is great.” Second, “we know him not.” Third, we must “serve God first.” God’s greatness is not dependent on my ability to know it. I don’t know it, if I’m being honest, and therefore I better be trying to grow in knowledge of God and His greatness and opportunistic when it comes to getting a few scars. By scars I mean those things that I don’t really want to do but know are essential as well as those things that I get to unite to Jesus’ sacrifice (i.e. any physical suffering, emotional suffering, dryness in prayer, etc.). The really cool thing, is that God is also good, so I get His Grace. Grace enables me to serve, or at least try to serve, God to the best of my ability.
2. living in thanksgiving – I MUST have an “attitude of gratitude.” God is good and “we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Whenever ever I get down, depressed, and in that poor me state of mind I need to sit down and do a GRATITUDE LIST. What am I grateful for? My life, my family, my friends, my home, my clothes, my health, having two hands, having two functioning eyes, and so forth. It is so important that I remember how blessed I really am.
3. knowing the unity and true dignity of all men – If “everyone is made in the image and likeness of God” (Gen 1:26), then it follows that all are worthy of love. Each soul has value and is utterly unique. Whether that soul is our mother or the murderer…each was created by God. While created in “the image and likeness of God,” man does not always act like God. That is why love is so important. When we love the unlovable, we love like God.
4. making good use of created things – The spirit of the world wants us to worship the material. Yet it is God who creates all things, therefore “use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him” (CCC 226). Our hearts long for God, that is why buying a new car or house, while giving us temporary satisfaction, fails to satisfy us…it is never enough. That is why we are so consumption oriented…we seek to fill. This outward-focus can be extremely dangerous to us if we allow it to turn us away from God through distraction or obsession. We should strive to be soulish not selfish.
5. trusting God in every circumstance – Trust. What do we see when we look at the cross? A “t” right? The “t” of the cross stands for trust, especially in adversity. Think about this in terms of the previous four consequences. If we need to know that God is great and worthy of knowing better and serving, if we are grateful to Him, if we see that all souls are like us in that they have been made by and for God, and if we are to use things only if they draw us closer to God, then doesn’t it follow that we would have to trust Him. God is great, worthy of our love, our seeking, our thanksgiving, therefore we can absolutely trust Him. I must pray –  Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.

Practicing these five consequences or principles isn’t always easy and I certainly don’t do it perfectly, but I understand that I need to. So I try.