Mother's Day - Was Mary a Good Mother to Jesus?

Today is the day that we set aside to honor the most important people in the world, our mothers.  I want to examine in a cursory manner the relationship between Jesus and His Mother.  I say cursory because books can and have been written about their relationship. How would we rate Mary as a mother using the standards of the twenty-first century as our model?  We will look at a few moments in their combined lives and then total up the score. 

Birth

Well, Mary passes the first test of being a good mother because she decided to give birth.  In her time there was no "choice" in the matter and she was in a tight spot indeed.  She was betrothed to Joseph who knew her in every way except in a carnal way.  He loved Mary and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.  At this moment, to him, she was an ordinary girl that caught his attention and who had agreed to marry him.  The betrothal period was about a year during which time Joseph would prepare a home for his new bride. This conveyed all of the rights of marriage on the couple including the right to engage in intimacy but it was the custom to refrain until the marriage was solemnized.  When Mary went away for three months and came back three months pregnant it presented a dilemma for her.  Back then they had a cure for unwed motherhood and it was called stoning. If she was found to be with child and Joseph claimed that he was not the father there would have been a quick fancy trial followed by an immediate execution of the death sentence.  Mary who knew the child was a holy one kept steady and told Joseph who must have been heartbroken. That he had a dream and he understood all and took Mary into his house, the betrothed and he became man and wife.  In today's world, Mary could have considered having the baby murdered by being vacuumed out of her womb, or she could have taken a "Plan B" pill to cause a miscarriage.  But today, she would be in no danger because being pregnant before marriage is not seen as being wrong anymore.  But back then, she would have had to leave her home, never to return,  and go to some far-away place, have her baby and make her way in the world as best as she could. A single mother was a novelty back then and as a woman, without means, she would have had a hard time. So, Mary put her faith in God and she had the child and they named Him Jesus. 

Compliance

One thing all mothers, from earliest times, had to do was to be sure that all of the legal niceties were taken care of. She and Joseph took their baby, the Child of Promise, to the temple and before they could even get into the inner courts, a man stopped them and took the Infant in his arms and told Mary what she already knew.  He told her that this Boy would be a sign and a sign that was rejected and that He would be the rise and fall of many in  Jerusalem.  Simeon also prophesized that a sword would pierce her heart too. She must have left the temple after Joseph and her sacrificed two turtle doves, the sacrifice of a poor family in thanksgiving for the birth of their child.  Mary and Joseph also traveled with Jesus to Passover when He was twelve and panicked when they seeming lost Him.  Was he kidnapped? Was he hurt?  They searched for him for three days until they found Him in the temple teaching the elders and asking questions of them who were amazed at the wisdom he had at his tender age.  Mary asked her Son why He had done this and Jesus gave an answer that had I given it to my parents would have resulted in a grounding that would still be in effect today.  He told them that He had to be about His Father's business.  Then he left with them and the Bible says He was subject to them. 

Teaching

The mother was responsible for teaching the children in the ways of the Lord.  The father helped a bit but it was not considered his job. So Mary taught Jesus, who, even though He was God, he still had a human brain that needed to be taught the rules, regulations, rituals, and traditions of the Jewish world.  Yes, Jesus was God and yes he possessed a brilliant mind but He still had to strive to learn about what it was like to be a Jew in the first century and Mary taught Him and taught Him well.  He knew more than those that had been sent to study under famous rabbis. That is why when he came under scrutiny by the temple gang they were amazed because they could find no one who would admit to training him formally.  So Mary did a great job for sure. 

Kick-Starting

A mother eagle sometimes has to kick her child out of the nest so that the child could start to depend on his own devices, find his own food, find a mate and perpetuate the species.  At Cana, it appears that Jesus was not quite ready to start his ministry.  Mary probably looked into his eyes and with her eyes, the eyes of a mother saw some hesitancy, some unsureness, and yes, probably even some fear.  Let's face it.  Jesus was very comfortable with His life.  He had lived thirty years in relative peace and enjoyed putting the lessons learned from Joseph into practice.  He loved the smell of wood shavings and was proud when a project brought in a small bonus because the people were so grateful for the wonderful work He did for them.  He was proud that He was able to take care of His mother.  So, knowing that Jesus could help their friends whose party had run out of liquid refreshment, she asked her son.  Jesus responded saying basically, "Yeah, what do you want me to do about it?  It isn't time yet."  Mary shrewdly told the waiters to do whatever Jesus told them to do and their wine problem would be solved.  They did, it was, and Jesus started to be watched by people and reluctantly, Jesus gave up the peace and serenity of home life and took His mission on the road.  Mary, His mother kick-started the mission, 

Consoling

We jump forward three years and the worst has come to be.  Jesus has been condemned, has been tortured, and is now carrying a cross to be nailed upon on Calvary.  He wills Himself forward and He sees His mother.  She approaches and their eyes meet.  That brief moment gave Jesus a boost of energy and He stared into her eyes and was going to say something but the Roman guard pushed Him forward.  But never in history was it more important for two people to look at each other. I believe that each understood that this is what had to happen.  Mary for her part mourned for her Son and Jesus in these last few moments of life came up with an idea to keep His mother safe in the world, He would entrust her to John the Apostle.  With this matter taken care of the Savior marched on. 

Mourning

Jesus was removed from the cross.  His body limp and cold was placed into the arms of His mother who would have a moment to say goodbye.  Her tears mixed with the rain that was falling and the dripped on her dead Son's body.  She sobbed and cried.  She was inconsolable.  Jesus's body was pried from her hands and taken away for burial.  She, like any mother who has to bury a child thought of their happy lives with Joseph and then with just her and Jesus.  More tears fell. Thunder sounded in the distance and she rose up and after helping with the burial, she went home to mourn afresh.  Love of a human will always end badly.  It is our fate to die and that is an unchanging law.  In every pair of people, there will be a parting and that parting will be painful and will leave scars.  Time will heal the pain but the loss you feel when someone is called home to God or more simply dies is a common human experience. Even Jesus, the Son of God felt it when Lazarus died. 

So, How Mary Measure Up? 

I think we can safely say that Mary was a good mother.  She falls into the one-hundred percentile. Every mother should try to emulate her.   We are commanded to honor our father and mother.  Jesus followed this commandment to the letter and fulfilled it perfectly.  But what about those of us who did not have a satisfying experience at home with our mother?  Perhaps she was mean, or maybe an alcoholic or maybe she thought of herself over her child or children.  Do we have to honor such mothers or are we free to hate them and cut them out of our lives forever?  We are not commanded to honor our father and mother if they were perfect parents.  No, the commandment does not say that.  What we are to do with imperfect parents is to, as best as we can, see our way clear to forgive them.  I know that this is hard and may even be impossible for us to do without the help of God.  We must try and we must ask for help.  We need not put ourselves in harm's way.  We just need to be thankful to our mother for the life she gave us and we need to pray for her and for the healing of any pains and scars she may have inflicted on us.  We must be generous with our prayers.  We may never sit down with them for coffee again but we can request that both they and ourselves can heal and maybe even one day reunite. 

My Mother Has Passed Away

My mother has been dead since 1990, 29 years without Mom.  I miss her today just as much as I did when I saw her take her last breath on earth.  It makes the holiday of Mother's Day kind of hard for me to take although it has gotten easier over the years.  But how do you honor your mother if she has passed away?  You pray for her.  If you really loved her in life, do not abandon her in death.  Purgatory is a real place and in spite of the fact that you "know" she went right to heaven, it is still possible that she might be in purgatory.  Pray for her.  Have a mass said for her and plan to be at that mass. Talk to her, pour our heart, let her know how you feel.  She is still your mother.  

TO ALL MOTHERS, GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU ON THIS MOTHER'S DAY 2019 

Miracles Are All Around Us!

First reading	Acts 9:31-42 ©

The churches grew and were filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit

The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee, and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

  Peter visited one place after another and eventually came to the saints living down in Lydda. There he found a man called Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you: get up and fold up your sleeping mat.’ Aeneas got up immediately; everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they were all converted to the Lord.

  At Jaffa, there was a woman disciple called Tabitha, or Dorcas in Greek, who never tired of doing good or giving in charity. But the time came when she got ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in a room upstairs. Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men with an urgent message for him, ‘Come and visit us as soon as possible.’

  Peter went back with them straight away, and on his arrival they took him to the upstairs room, where all the widows stood around him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, ‘Tabitha, stand up.’ She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive. The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord.

Whenever there is an abundance of something we tend to take it for granted.  For example, we want to go somewhere in our car.  We get in and see that the gas gauge shows almost empty so we go to the gas station and fill up with gas.  We don't think about it, we just go and get it.  Go back a few years now to when the Arabs were angry because the U.S. was supporting Israel and they slowed down the amount of oil that they were sending us which meant that we could not make as much gasoline and that caused lines at the gas pumps.  We realized at that moment that we were being held hostage by OPEC.  Gasoline was now rationed.  Depending on your license number you could buy gasoline on even or odd numbered days.  On Sunday, all stations, nationwide, were closed. On the days you could drive you were mandated to save gasoline on the highway, we were limited to 55 miles per hour maximum.  This limit, which was pretty much ignored, was supposed to save gasoline.  So, you see that an abundance led to indifference and a shortage led to concern and conservation. 

Every day we can, if we look, see miracles around us. The issue is not the lack of miracles which requires much study and interpretation to see one but rather recognizing them as abundant and as gifts from our Father in heaven.  The very fact that you are drawing breath and able to see things around you is a miracle.  Life itself in all of its forms is a miracle.  The food we eat, the water we drink all came from the hand of God to sustain us. 

Our ancestors understood that their world was filled with miracles and they watched for them and thanked God for them daily.  A miracle is usually described as something that happened that did not have an explanation in nature.  Do you realize that using this definition we can consider electricity a miracle?  Sure, we know how to generate it, to distribute it, and to use it but scientists have never been able to define just what it is.  Electricity is, therefore, a miracle.  That would mean that everything that we use electric for is a miracle too!  Our smartphone could not exist without the humble electron so perhaps the smartphone is a miracle too.  

I hope you see my point. God has provided us with a wonderful world, full of miracles to help us live our lives in a better and more comfortable fashion.  It follows that when we take advantage of the miracles we find in the world that we should use them not only to enrich our lives but we should make it point to be a miracle for those in less fortunate circumstances than we are. 

You and I are walking miracles.  Inside of us is a soul that will never ever die.  We, humans, have the capacity to feel the joys and sorrows of other people.  We can empathize, which means we can share in the feelings of others.  When we do this we can reach into our resources and be of help to others.  Other occupants of this planet such as animal life normally cannot do this.

So today, think of yourself as a miracle, as the beloved of God the Father who has been so very generous to you in so many ways.  Before you eat or drink, think and thank God for what you are about to do, it is a miracle.  Before you start your labor for the day, think and thank God for you are about to do is a miracle.  And today resolve that you, an ambulating, talking miracle will not keep the joy of God's love to yourself.  Distribute miracles as you walk through life, it is why you are here! 

Why Do You Persecute Me? - Conversion For Fun and Prophet

First reading	Acts 9:1-20 ©

This man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before the pagans

Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord’s disciples. He had gone to the high priest and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorize him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men or women, that he could find.

  Suddenly, while he was traveling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there came a light from heaven all around him. He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked, and the voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.’ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless, for though they heard the voice they could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but even with his eyes wide open he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. For three days he was without his sight and took neither food nor drink.

  A disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard the Lord say to him, ‘Ananias!’ When he replied, ‘Here I am, Lord’, the Lord said, ‘You must go to Straight Street and ask the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight.’

  When he heard that, Ananias said, ‘Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your saints in Jerusalem. He has only come here because he holds a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.’ The Lord replied, ‘You must go all the same because this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name.’ Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately it was as though scales fell away from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. So he was baptized there and then, and after taking some food he regained his strength.

  He began preaching in the synagogues, ‘Jesus is the Son of God.’

Today we read about Saul an eager and devoted man who was ready to go to great lengths to stamp out this Jesus cult which was rocking the temple to its foundations.  Day by day he saw good people being lured away by the smooth-talking of the followers of that crucified pious faker who claimed to be the Son of God.  It seemed to Saul that no one was taking this cult seriously.  The chief priest and the Sanhedrin sat around and talked and talked and talked and at nightfall they were no closer to a plan to rid the people of the Jesus Cult.  Saul approached them and agreed to take on the responsibility of ridding Judea of this menace.  He was very successful in the city but some had fled to other cities and slipped through the fine sieve that he constructed.  He armed himself with letters of authorization and began to hunt these Christians on the road.  Then, he was thrown from his horse, blinded, and he heard a voice asking "Why are you persecuting me?"  Saul was a bit shaken but found the voice to say, "Who are you?"   He received the answer that he never expected to hear, "I am Jesus."

Thus began the conversion of one of Christendom's greatest evangelists.  In a way, his conversion story is much like the story of many of us.  Oh, we may not have seen a bright light, or have fallen from a horse or even been struck blind but each of us has a conversion story, something that propelled us on the way to being a faithful follower of Jesus.  I think that in my case it was two things that happened to me when I was a small boy.  Each incident involved a woman being Christ for and to me.  First was my mother Violet (I had a pet name for her, it was "Mom.")  She faithfully took me to church with her every Sunday. She made sure that I knew that this place we were going to was the House of God and was not a place to use any other voice than a whisper. She pointed out the tabernacle to me and said that Jesus was there. I tried to be very good at church.  I tried to follow what the other people were doing.  When they made the sign of the cross, so did I.  Except it looked more like I was shoeing flies away than an actual sign of the cross.  I was impressed that all of these people were here to visit Jesus.  There was music and the priest read a story about Jesus and then he spoke about it, which I didn't understand.  But I was fascinated by the whole thing, the quiet, the people praying, the little box where Jesus was and the fact that I had been brought here by my mother so it had to be a good place to be. 

The second woman was always dressed in the same clothes, black and white and she wore a veil.  She was known by many names but the two that we children used the most was "sister" and on ocassion, we would raise our hand and  chant her other name as we clamored for her attention and said, "sss sss sss."  Yes, forty kids trying to get sister to call on them.  It kind of sounded like a convention of snakes.  This sister taught us that Jesus loved us.  What converted me was simply the story she told about Jesus leaving the ninety-nine safe sheep and going out to look for the one that was lost.  When He found the lost sheep, He would pick it up and carry it back home on His back.  Sister showed a picture of Jesus doing that and I, from that day forward, was convinced. My conversion to becoming a real Christian had begun. 

Very few of us are converted like Saul was.  Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, was converted in one big incident and he never looked back from that moment on.  The cult he had once hated became the Church that he loved unto death.  For me, my conversion is an ongoing process.  I heat up for a while and then I seem to cool down.  Later, I realize that I have begun to stray from the path and I reconvert myself and for a time I work harder on myself and try to get closer to Jesus. When will I be fully converted?  I don't think any sooner than when I stand before Jesus.  Everyone is converted when they see Jesus face to face.  For some, this conversion comes too late because when they look into the face of Christ, they can only see their failures, their acts of self-love and their refusal to adhere to the Words of Christ.  Jesus does not accuse them, they confess how they have failed to Jesus but they feel no remorse. These are the ones who will prefer to spend their eternity away from God and their request will be granted.  The rest of us will also see our failures but as we look into the eyes of our Savior we will see how He even used our failures to create good in the world. We will look in His eyes and see the love He has for us, his servants, and will bid us take our place among the Saints of heaven.  

My suggestion to you is to keep converting yourself.  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and re-convert again and again, as many times as is needed to be the Friend of Jesus, who is very happy to carry a lost sheep such as yourself back to the fold. 

Martyrdom - Is It Safe?

First reading	Acts 6:8-15 ©

They could not get the better of Stephen because the Spirit prompted what he said

Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said. So they procured some men to say, ‘We heard him using blasphemous language against Moses and against God.’ Having in this way turned the people against him as well as the elders and scribes, they took Stephen by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. There they put up false witnesses to say, ‘This man is always making speeches against this Holy Place and the Law. We have heard him say that Jesus the Nazarene is going to destroy this Place and alter the traditions that Moses handed down to us.’ The members of the Sanhedrin all looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.

Our reading today stops a bit short and does not describe the fate of Stephan who was one of the first deacons of the Church and the first martyr.  Once again we have the august personages of the Great Sanhedrin meeting in conclave faced with this issue that they thought that they had taken care of when Jesus was disgraced and hung on a Roman cross for the scripture says, "Cursed is he who hangs on a tree."  In the language of the time, the crosses used to dispatch criminals was referred to as a tree. So, the holy men of the Sanhedrin did all that they could to nip this Jesus thing in the bud.  

The blood of martyrs became the seed of the Church.  People of the time had no belief system that made death something that anyone would find appealing.  But the Christians believed that death was not the end of things and that they would be with the Lord if they remained faithful.  

This begs a question; What is the difference between Christian martyrdom and Islamic martyrdom?  Is there a difference?  

I believe that there is a definite difference in the mindset of Christian martyrs versus Islamic martyrs.  A Christian person does not seek out opportunities to die for their faith.  A living Christian is certainly what Our Lord has in mind because a living Christian can preach The Good News to others and show them the benefits of being Christian.  A Christian martyr is typically not a volunteer, although he or she can be, such as in the case of Maximillian Kolbe who sacrificed his life so that another might live.  But normally Christian martyrs are rounded up or arrested by the authorities and in Rome, they were sometimes given a chance to redeem themselves by offering a pinch of incense to the emperor who was considered (at least by himself) to be a living god.  In the Roman world one just did this out of habit and did not really believe that the oaf sitting on the throne was any kind of god.  It was viewed as something that would unite Romans and thus keep the empire strong.  Christians lived in the world and most likely prior to their conversion, they partook in this civic duty without thinking much about it.  Once they came to believe that Jesus was Lord, the ritual took on a new meaning and they could not in good conscience sacrifice even a pinch of incense to the false-god that the emperor was.  This was seen as treason by the man on the throne and was a crime worthy of death.  As the Christian martyrs were marched off to be killed in the arena, their fellow Christians would ask for their prayers for they knew that they would be heard as they were about to shed their blood for their beliefs.  So we see, that Christian martyrdom was in a sense voluntary since a pinch of incense would be the tonic that could save their lives. 

We look next at Islamic martyrs. In the modern era, we have what radical Muslims call "The Nineteen Martyrs."  These were the men who participated in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Osama bin Laden is seen to be the number one martyr. We also have many, too many, examples of men, women, and children putting on a suicide vest and going to a crowded place, killing themselves and scores of innocent people.  The person wearing the vest is considered a martyr for the cause. These people are volunteers who agree to commit savage acts of murder so that they can receive a reward from their diety.  This cult of death is a perversion of main-stream Islam to be sure but it is the public face of this leaderless religion where the word of one teacher is just as good as another so the radical Islamic is free to choose from among the most blood-thirsty teachers available and thus legitimize their murder of innocent people. For this type of people, blood will run in the streets until the whole world is not only Muslim but the form of Islam that is the strictest and which saps the joy out of life as one person watches another, ready to denounce him or her for crimes against Allah. 

For the Christian, life is better than death but death is not a thing to be feared. Until the day we are called home, and that day may include our being martyred for the Faith, we live the Christian life day by day.  We learn how to love one another as Christ loved us - remember he spared nothing.  We also try to live in harmony with the world at large being of the world but not part of it. 

Third Sunday of Easter - Why Lamb of God?

The following is from CATHOLIC ANSWERS  To understand why the title “Lamb of God” is used for Christ, we must first appreciate the celebration of Passover.  Recall that at about 1250 BC, the Israelites were slaves of Egypt.  Almighty God heard the cry of His people:  Exodus 2:24 stated, “He heard their groaning and was mindful of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  God sent Moses to deliver His people from their bondage.  After Moses had performed nine signs, Pharaoh’s heart was still unmoved.  Finally, God told Moses to have each family take a one-year-old, male, unblemished lamb; slaughter the lamb; and paint the door posts and lintel of every house where they would eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  That night, the Angel of Death would “passover” the homes protected by the blood, but take the lives of the first born children unprotected by the blood of the lamb.  Because of that blood sacrifice, Pharaoh let the people go:  they went from slavery to freedom, from a land of sin to the Promised land, and from death to new life. The prophets used this image of the lamb to describe the Messiah.  Isaiah prophesied, “Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearer, he was silent and opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).  However, the image is twofold:  the Messiah would be both the sacrificial lamb to atone for sin and the suffering servant.  Interestingly, when speaking to the Ethiopian eunuch who was reading this exact passage from Isaiah, St. Philip told how it referred to Christ and how He fulfilled it (Acts 8:26ff). Nevertheless, in the Gospels, Jesus is specifically identified as “the lamb of God” in the sense of both the sacrificial offering for sin and the suffering servant.  As John the Baptizer was proclaiming the coming of the Messiah at the River Jordan, he saw Jesus and proclaimed, “Look!  There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).  After foretelling His passion, death, and resurrection for the third time, Jesus asserted, “Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest, and whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all.  Such is the case of the Son of Man who has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give His own life as a ransom for the many” (Matthew 20:26-28). The imagery of “Lamb of God” becomes clear in the Passion Narratives of the Gospels.  In St. John’s gospel, Pilate condemned Jesus to death on the preparation day for Passover at noon (John 18:28, 19:14), the hour when the priests began to slaughter Passover lambs in the temple.  After the crucifixion, the Gospel recorded that they did not break any of Jesus’ bones in fulfillment of Scripture (John 19:36); this reference corresponds to Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12 where none of the Passover lamb’s bones were to be broken.  After our Lord’s death, the soldier thrust forward his lance, piercing the heart of our Lord; out flowed blood and water (John 19:34), always interpreted as signs of the life-giving sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Baptism. Ponder the depth of what is happening in the passion narratives!  At the crucifixion, Jesus, the innocent and sinless victim, takes all of our sins unto Himself.  He though does not just bear our sins and suffer the punishment for us that is due for them; no, Jesus Himself expiates the sins.  He as Priest offers Himself on the altar of the cross.  Through His blood He washes away sin.  However, unlike the Passover lamb that was slaughtered, roasted, and eaten, our Lord rose from the dead, conquering both sin and death.  He has truly delivered us from the slavery of sin, shown us the path of salvation, and given us the promise of everlasting life.  He has made a new, perfect, and everlasting covenant with His own blood.  Therefore St. Peter exhorted, “Realize that you were delivered from the futile way of life your fathers handed on to you, not by any diminishable sum of silver or gold, but by Christ’s blood beyond all price, the blood of a spotless, unblemished lamb…” (I Peter 1:19). We must not forget that this image evokes victory.  The Book of Revelation highlights this notion picturing the Lamb surrounded by angels, the “living creatures,” and elders, who cried out, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12).  Jesus is the King of kings, and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14) who will be victorious against the powers of evil and will invite the righteous to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9), the union of the Church, the new Jerusalem, in heaven with the Lord. For this reason, the Agnus Dei is sung during the fraction, the breaking of the consecrated Host.  St. John Chrysostom (d. 407) preached of how the fraction symbolized the Passion of Christ:  “What Christ did not suffer on the Cross, He suffers in the sacrifice for thee.”  The hymn itself invokes Christ and recalls His sacrificial death with overtones of a hymn of victory of the triumphal Lamb.  This belief is then emphasized again when the priest holds up the fractured Host and says, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called to His supper.”  (Or, in a literal translation of the Latin, “Happy are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb,” better reflecting the imagery of Revelation.) As we celebrate the mysteries of the Mass, we look to the Lamb who suffered, died, and rose for our salvation.  We must gather around the altar of the Lamb, offering to Him our own hearts and pledging to be His servants, so that we may welcome Him and become wedded to Him in the Holy Eucharist.

2nd Saturday of Easter - Kentucky Derby - Today We All Run For The Roses!

What kind of horse are you?  Today is the Kentucky Derby  This started me to thinking about the different type of people that are in the world and how they can compare to different type of horses.  Where do you fit in?

THOROUGHBRED

We all like to think of ourselves as thoroughbreds, proud, high spirited, hard-working, brilliant, admired, and inspirational in short at the top of the heap, a real winner.  Shockingly, most of us cannot legitimately claim this title and that is okay.  We have to be what we are and nothing else.  The human thoroughbred will do his or her own thing when he wants to.  He will be strong-willed, intelligent, vocal about his needs and he will not accept anything less than what he perceives as the best.  Thoroughbred humans can exist at both ends of the socioeconomic scale, from the super rich to the street person.  It is not a matter of money but attitude.  On the plus side, the Thoroughbred will get what he needs, on the negative side he will be hard to be friends with and since he trusts no one’s opinion but his own he will make mistakes.  He may be lonely as people will find him and his needs hard to understand.  On the positive side he will have what he needs to make him happy, on the negative side, he may not recognize this and find his life empty because of things he cannot reach.  He will always be a finisher but he does not like to look at the tails of the other horses in the race and a thoroughbred human in second place will be angry but will usually only blame himself for not running harder.  This desire to be first will fuel his ambition.  To be a thoroughbred human means you never reach your goal, you have to keep moving, the carrot on the string is always just out of your reach and you figure that if you run harder you will eventually, get to eat it.  The life of a thoroughbred is not all oats and honey.

TROTTER

Perhaps you are a trotter.  There is something majestic in a trotting race; all of the horses running in apparent harmony while at the same time each of them are trying to gain an advantage and win the race.  A human trotter will be disciplined to the extreme, taking one step at a time and keeping focused on keeping in step. The trotter human will have some trouble with other people, especially thoroughbreds because they will want to take a disciplined approach to problem-solving where others will want to plunge ahead and get the job done. The trotter will weigh the consequences of each action and take his time in deciding.  The trotter does not make too many mistakes, will not take too many risks, and while he will maintain a spotless record, there is a danger of the trotter slipping into mediocrity. 

THE MUSTANG

The wild mustang is an American Icon, an animal running proud, free and wild, answerable to no one.  This is another horse we would like to see ourselves as.  Again, there are fewer mustang humans than we would think.  The true mustang accepts no boundaries, no bridle nor bit and when cornered is hard and dangerous to break.  While we might think of ourselves as mustangs, the wildness required to be one for most of us has thankfully been bred out our kind long ago and is but a dim memory.  The human mustang has a disregard for the niceties of ordinary life, you accept him for what he is or you can go your way.  It is hard to get to know the Mustang, he has no fear except being saddled and domesticated.  He is hard to reason with unless he agrees with your position.  The Mustang tends to be anti-social, will take any advantage that he can to best you and will be ruthless if necessary to gain his desires which are seen as the ultimate good.  The Mustang follows his law.  In our jails, prisons, executive suites of banks, brokerage houses, and in many of our state and national legislative bodies you will find many fine examples of human mustangs, mores the pity.

Jumpers and Steeplechasers

There is nothing more beautiful than a horse trained to jump over obstacles in the steeplechase.  The human jumper plans and practices and pays attention to form and style.  He moves ever forward, keeping the future in sight and preparing for the next obstacle. It is hard to surprise a jumper, but they limit their vision to what they can see.  They can see a three rail fence directly ahead and make all preparations to jump it with style and grace, but might not see the water hazard right behind the fence.  Out of all the horse types, the jumper will listen to your ideas and take them into account as he plans the future.  While he fiendishly keeps his eye on the goal, he misses seeing the beauty around him.  The jumper is mild-mannered and the easiest to talk to.

The Junk Wagon Horse

The final type of horse does not seem to be one we would want to imitate but I think that many of us most resemble this kind of horse.  The junk wagon horse accepts what is, moves slowly but surely down roads he has trod before.  He does not notice the burden of the wagon as he has carried it for many years and it feels a part of him now.  He works day in and day out embracing the day to day chores of everyday life and feels simple pride when the job is done.  At home, he gratefully eats his oats and afterward falls into a sleep where he dreams of being a thoroughbred, trotter, or Mustang.  He awakes in the morning, forgets his dreams and slips on the bridle and bit and goes back to work not noticing the burden of the wagon because he has carried it for many years.

Okay, here is the point of this article.  There are many different types of people in the world.  We all have a vision of who we are and how we fit into the scheme of things. Our vision is colored by our training at home and at the various schools we attended, our experience out in the world from the youngest first impressions of the world to mature judgments made after years of hard work, calloused hands, and remembered experiences.  The exotic horse types are rare and special. But that does not mean that the workhorse, people like me and perhaps you, are not special.  God has put you here on the earth to complete a mission that only you can complete. Neither how others see you nor how you see yourself can be allowed to interfere with the mission. Listen and watch for God working in your life.  The thoroughbred, the trotter, the show jumper, the Mustang, and the Old Workhorse all will be given the strength that they need to carry out what needs to be done. Labor in love and do what God wants you to do.  

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Jail Break

First reading	Acts 5:17-26 ©

The men you imprisoned are in the Temple, preaching to the people

The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common jail.

  But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, ‘Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.’ They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach.

  When the high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin – this was the full Senate of Israel – and sent to the jail for them to be brought. But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not inside, so they went back and reported, ‘We found the jail securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one inside.’ When the captain of the Temple and the chief priests heard this news they wondered what this could mean. Then a man arrived with fresh news. ‘At this very moment,’ he said, ‘the men you imprisoned are in the Temple. They are standing there preaching to the people.’ The captain went with his men and fetched them. They were afraid to use force in case the people stoned them.

The accommodations were spartan, to say the least.  Ancient jails were not known to be comfortable places.  If you wanted to be fed, in many jails you would need to bribe the warders or have food catered in by your friends or family. So, it was the fondest wish of any prisoner incarcerated in an ancient jail to be out of there as soon as they could arrange it.  That meant escaping or breaking jail. It was hard, if not impossible to do.  Many times you were furnished with shackles that hobbled your walking ability or you might even be chained to the wall to guard against sleepwalking. 

One feature of any jailbreak is the getaway.  You wanted to be far away once your hosts figured out that you were gone. Why saw through bars, shimmy up walls, go over barbed wire if all you were going to do was to stand outside the jail's gate smoking a cigarette until the guards saw you and dragged you back to your cell?  Well, in our story, an angel of the Lord helps the apostles to escape.  They are not set free for their own good, but rather are told to go back to the temple, where they were arrested and where they told others about this New Life, the Good News.  This is exactly what they did and sure enough, some guards came and because of the popularity of the apostles, they did not roughly haul them away but asked them gently to please come and say a few words to the Great Sanhedrin for they are awaiting you at this very moment. They go along with the guards because they know that God will see them through. 

It is the same for us. Sometimes, God will release us from a prison of our own making and we for our part will feel the need to help others that were caught in the same prison.  This is a guiding principle of any twelve-step program.  You have to share it or you will lose it.  So today, think of all of the prisons that God has freed you from.  Think how He has stood you up, pulled you up as it were from your own bootstraps and set you on a better path.  Use what you have, experiences good and bad, to help others.  That is why were are in this world.  We are not here to save ourselves, this has already been done for us believers.  We are here to save others, to instill in them the news that they are beloved by God and they are welcome to be a part of His household forever.  Is there any more important work we can do?