SUNDAY 11 MAY 2025: THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER: GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY.

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The Good Shepherd mosaic, 5th century, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia 2015, Ravenna, Italy.

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”         John 10:27-28.

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The image above, created in the 5th century, making it over 1500 years old, shows a beardless Christ amid a pastoral scene of peace and abundance. Christianity was made legal in 313AD with the promulgation of the Edict of Milan. Between the time of Jesus and 313, the Christians had been hounded, persecuted, torn to pieces by the teeth of lions, and occasionally left in peace, so that, once the Edict was proclaimed, there was little idea of what a Jewish Jesus would have looked like. Hence he is seen here as a beardless young man, the Roman fashion of the time, amid a peaceful, luxuriant landscape completely removed from the Holy Land which is more desert than abundantly green! Also, Jesus as the Good Shepherd was by far the most popular image of the Lord for the next 100 or so years. Almost all the first representations of Jesus that we know of him are as the Good Shepherd. A crucified Lord was not the image those recently legalized Romans wanted to proclaim. A bearded Jesus began to appear later, possibly connected to the appearance of the image on the Shroud of Turin in the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century. But the point of all this is to cast light on the image created by the Lord in today’s gospel: Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” In other words, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Now for years I have been writing about how dumb sheep are, unable to learn to avoid mishaps, blindly following the leader, timid and easily frightened, and so on. Well, I was wrong. Although not as bright as dogs or pigs, they are, apparently, the equal of cows and other domesticated animals. So when Jesus called us his flock of sheep, there was no scantily disguised insult there. We are bright, other oriented, mutually helpful, even empathetic and exhibiting all the other qualities that the first hearers of today’s gospel would be familiar with, but we, today, are not. So it comes as a relief to know that we are intelligent creatures, treasured by our Shepherd who protects and loves us are cares about us to the extent of giving his very life for us.

Christ the Good Shepherd

My Art and Faith

And then there is the Lamb of God. It was John the Baptist who identified Jesus as such (John 1:29). There is a touch of pure innocence and life in a multitude of lambs together. Then there is the theological significance of the lamb slaughtered to ensure the protection from the angel of death, the 10th plague of Egypt, its blood therefore signifying life, not death. The blood on the Hebrew doorposts meant death would not enter their households. And the early Christians quickly came to the understanding of the full meaning of John the Baptist’s recognition of Jesus as the totally innocent lamb who would take away the sins, the corruption and death of the world. Its innocence would conquer everything! “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world….” That innocent Lamb’s blood washes our sinful souls white. And this from today’s second reading: For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Plenty for us to consider this Sunday, much to understand and apply to ourselves, and much to be thankful for.

The symbolism of sheep and lambs is very old in Scripture. Apart from dogs, apparently domesticated 20,000 years ago, sheep are thought to have been among the next animals to be domesticated, perhaps about 10,000 years ago, probably in Mesopotamia. They were noted for their lack of aggression, they were of a size which was easily manageable, they had fast sexual maturity, a noticeable preference for good social behavior and a high reproduction rate, all of these being desirable qualities for domestication. Of course, their fleece and as a source of food made these animals highly desirable on many levels. Hence they became a symbol of wealth for their owners. Remember the legend of the Golden Fleece from ancient Greece, a symbol of wealth and strength, and the source of one of the most ancient honors in Europe:

The Order of the Golden Fleece, founded 1430, Schatzkammer, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria.

But those who cared for them, the shepherds, were considered to be among the lowest in society. Remember that the prophet Samuel, sent by God to Bethlehem to seek a king to succeed Saul from Jesse’s sons, did not find him among the seven young men presented to him. Samuel, probably rather sheepishly, as it were, asked Jesse if he had any more sons. Yes, David, the youngest, who therefore had been sent to take care of the sheep, the traditional job of the youngest. And God chose him. So shepherds in the Bible were both lowly and yet kingly! And then there is Jesus, both lamb and shepherd: “For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water…” from today’s second reading from the Book of Revelation. Here is the summation of the image, sacrificial Lamb and Shepherd protector and guide, both images found in the Lord Jesus. He is the perfect shepherd, willing even to give his life for the redemption of his flock’s souls, such is his love for us. No greater love can be conceived. 

Ghent Altarpiece: The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Hubert and Jan van Eyck 1432, St. Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium.

 

LET US GREET OUR NEW POPE, Pontifex Maximus, Servant of the Servants of God:

Robert Francis Prevost:

POPE LEO XIV

We are in the first days of the new pope, and we eagerly await the signs of what the new pontificate will be like. We probably will not have to wait long! Leo XIII, who seems to be the inspiration of our new pope, was a courageous man. He championed the cause of the worker, demanding just wages for honest work. He approved of trade, labor, unions, something unheard of from a Catholic leader. And he was the first pope to be filmed. And looking at these two men, they could well be identical twins! Let us pray for the new pope and ask God to strengthen and guide him as he takes on this most challenging rôle.

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD FIND THIS REFLECTION ON TODAY’S READINGS TO BE HELPFUL, PLEASE FORWARD IT TO THEM. THANK YOU.

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

Please send your reactions to: 

RogerJohn@aol.com 

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SUNDAY 4 MAY 2025: THE THIRD SUNDAY of EASTER.

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Jesus appears to his Disciples at Lake Tiberias, James Tissot c. 1890, Brooklyn Museum, New York City, NY, USA. 

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When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.          John 21:5-6.

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Today’s gospel scene is reminiscent of the call of Peter which was the gospel a few weeks ago. At that time, I invited you to put yourself in Peter’s shoes and react appropriately to the holy man, Jesus, who happened to be in that place at that time. Peter had caught nothing, laboring all night long with nothing to show for it. The holy man suggested, no doubt gently, that he should pull out again and cast his net down one more time. Now, if you put yourself in Peter’s shoes, wet, cold, exhausted and craving for rest, what would YOU have said to the holy man who was clearly no fisherman? However there must have been something special about this holy man, because the fisherman did go out again, caught a huge number of fish, and then fell at Jesus’ feet and told him to leave him as he was “a sinful man” (Luke 5-8). Jesus, of course, had no such intention; this was the man to whom he would entrust everything. He was the first leader of Jesus’ church. Now look at this scene in today’s gospel. Once again they have caught nothing, but without question or retort, they cast their net out once more as the Lord instructed them, on the right side of the boat as Jesus specifically told them, and the same miraculous catch resulted. Jesus is to be believed, be followed and obeyed. He was, is and will ever be the road to heaven. 

Now one thing attracted my attention in this scene. Jesus seemed to be very direct when he told the fishermen to cast their net on the right side of their boat. My thought was “what difference does it make? And that’s when at the age of 80 I learned something new. With ancient shipping, as most people are right-handed, steering the boat was, by convention, through a steering oar attached to the right-hand side of the boat, at the rear, or stern. So “steering board” became starboard, the ship’s right-hand side. With the steering mechanism  there, it was clearly easier to dock the vessel on the other side, especially when entering a port, utilizing the left-hand, or port side. When casting their net out to sea therefore, it would be much less likely to be caught up with the steering mechanism if it were cast out on the port side.

The Bark of St. Peter, after a drawing attributed to Giotto, no date, The Royal Academy, London, UK.

So Jesus seemed to have been breaking convention in his instruction to them telling them to cast their net out the starboard side! One might ask why? One commentator suggests that it is very unconventional  to reconcile, to be loving, patient, kind, gentle, understanding and self-controlled. Certainly Hollywood would find that so, being much more used to the opposite! But of course the Lord wouldn’t; it would be normal to him. Another claims “The act of casting the net on the right side of the boat also holds symbolic significance. In biblical and cultural symbolism, the right side is often associated with favor, blessing, and honor”. Yet another says “Jesus is not just giving fishing advice to the disciples in this verse; he is using it as a metaphor for faith and trust in his divine power. Jesus shows them that when they follow his guidance and trust in his words, they will experience abundance beyond their wildest expectations by instructing them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat after they had been fishing all night without success. The disciples witness a miraculous catch of fish by heeding his words, demonstrating Jesus’ authority over nature and emphasizing the importance of faith and obedience in the Christian walk”. With such a difference of interpretation, each one of us has to make up our own minds!

The longer gospel today has an intimate conversation between Jesus and Peter. Jesus asked  Peter three times if he loves him – three times! Anyone familiar with the Passion narrative would instantly connect this triple question with Peter’s three denials in the high priest’s garden that he even knew Jesus! After the Lord asked the question for the third time, Peter responded “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” perhaps with a little exasperation! It was as if Jesus was making sure that Peter had, indeed, reformed and was now ready for anything. Indeed he was, to the point of martyrdom years later. Now remember here that we are all free agents. The gift of total freedom that each of us enjoys extends everywhere. Jesus, the God-Man, cannot compel us to love him. We are utterly free to respond to the gift of love, the invitation to the company of Jesus, the strength resulting from that and the quiet, confident happiness which springs from it. We are completely free to reject all of it, to the delight of the Devil! Or we can accept it, and the challenges which flow from it, but which makes us all better people. And there is a glimpse of the final result in today’s second reading from the Book of Revelation, the most challenging and strangest in the Christian canon. All present cry out with an ecstatic cry, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.”  Happiness is always from the other, love isn’t love ’till you give it away, as the song says. The Apocalypse reveals that the other is the Lamb of God, the sinless pure offering made on our behalf and for our salvation, the utter embodiment of life and love for us, always giving and always caring, jumping for the sheer joy of life. 

Revelation Scriptures, The Glorious Majesty of God’s Throne in Revelation 4.

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD FIND THIS HELPFUL, PLEASE FORWARD IT TO THEM. THANK YOU.

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

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SUNDAY 27 APRIL: Second Sunday of Easter; Sunday of Divine Mercy

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HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

Bishop of Rome 2013-2025

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Our beloved Pope Francis will be laid to rest near the confessionals on the right hand side in the picture above, as per his wishes: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus”.

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APRIL 27 2025: THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER: SUNDAY OF DIVINE MERCY

St. Thomas, Pierre Le Gros the Younger 1705-11, Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World, Rome, Italy, commonly known as St. John Lateran.

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[Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”    John 20:27-28.

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Thomas, after that passage appeared in John’s gospel, today’s gospel, has forever been given the name Doubting Thomas, and his finger has been his sign and symbol ever since (look at the statue above). And we might well be tempted to have done the same thing, hearing the outlandish claim that someone had returned from the grave! Thomas was pretty defiant about it, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Then, confronted by the irrefutable evidence that he was wrong, Thomas sank to his knees with the words, “My Lord and my God”, the one and only time in all Christian Scripture that Jesus was so addressed. And we are not told if he did place his finger into the wounds. So, in a sense, we are all Thomases until we accept and believe the truth of this gospel and can utter those words “My Lord and my God” from the heart. And there are other revelations in today’s gospel. We are told two times that the doors of the place where the disciples found themselves were locked. So, the entire Christian church was sealed in one room somewhere in Jerusalem, by tradition, the Upper Room, the Cenacle:

The Upper Room, traditionally called The Cenacle, 2018, Jerusalem, Israel. 

Why? One presumes they were terrified that the fate which had fallen on Jesus would fall on them as his followers. And who would not blame them for being scared of that hideous Roman punishment? It was deliberately brutal as a disincentive to challenge any Roman law or question any Roman authority (or, in this case, to appease a hostile crowd). They were all in hiding. So when the Lord appeared in their midst and said “Peace be with you” you can be pretty sure that peace was just about the last attribute they enjoyed. Terror would be more like it. It also seems from this passage in John’s gospel that there was a kind of Pentecost event which took place, the receiving of the Holy Spirit of God. But as they remained behind locked doors, perhaps that was still to happen fully. At the real event, commemorated on Pentecost Sunday, they all rushed out into the street proclaiming the Lord as Messiah and Savior with no fear at all of the consequences! Perhaps this was a prequel gift from God waiting to be unwrapped. Today’s first reading in fact does describe that later post-Pentecost boldness the disciples eventually displayed.

And this Divine Mercy Sunday is one of the rare occasions when the main readings are all from the New Testament; only today’s psalm is from Jewish scripture, and that praises the divine quality of mercy: Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever”. My preferred definition of mercy is, “Compassion on someone who does not deserve it”. Recall the woman caught in adultery two Sundays ago. She did not ask for forgiveness, but Jesus did forgive her. This gentle act of forgiveness shows mercy, compassion on someone who did not deserve it. And remember the criminal crucified next to Jesus, who said that he deserved his punishment, but Jesus had done no wrong, and asked him to remember him. Jesus, in an act of pure mercy, said that he would be with him in paradise. So mercy reflects the divine; it is of God, and hence we are required to be merciful servants of God. Not easy!

And then there is the second reading today, again traditionally from John’s hand. This talks of his divine inspiration to write the Book of Revelation, certainly one of the strangest of all Christian writings, describing the end time and the extraordinary events to come. And he saw the Risen Lord also, the Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet, A and Ω, meaning the Lord of Everything). It was he who instructed John to write down what he saw. In Angers, in France, there is a unique collection of tapestries which display what he saw:

Tapestry of the Apocalypse, 1375, Château d’Angers, Angers, France.

So, how do we conclude this extraordinary week, tying in the death of a beloved Pope and this Sunday of Divine Mercy? Pope Francis was, if anything, a Pope of Mercy. He delighted in accepting people of all religions or none, he washed the feet of criminals, he listened to people who were in pain, victims of horrendous sexual abuse by Catholic priests. He insisted that the official church listen to the voices of the non-ordained. He appealed time and again for peace between nations, between opposing viewpoints, between individuals. He became the voice of peace and acceptance in the world. We could hardly do any better than to adopt his attitudes and response to others, to women, to gay people, to non-Christians, to those you disagree with, putting aside hostility in favor of friendship and the love that Jesus had for everyone, including his torturers. We could do no better than that.

 

PLEASE FORWARD THIS A SOMEONE YOU KNOW  WHO MIGHT FIND IT HELPFUL, REASSURING AND FULL OF HOPE. THANK YOU. 

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

Please send your reactions to: RogerJohn@aol.com 

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APRIL 17, 18 19: THE SACRED TRIDUUM: MAUNDY THURSDAY, GOOD FRIDAY, THE GREAT EASTER VIGIL AND EASTER SUNDAY.

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The Empty Tomb, Amazon BtsAn

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.      John 20:1.

Click here for the readings of Holy Thursday, for Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. Today’s Reflection will be based mostly on the Easter Sunday readings.

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This week we remember and celebrate the most important event in the history of the world. This was the event where death itself was conquered, the conquest of the ultimate enemy of us humans, all animal life, all that we know, and, indeed, the entire universe. The Sacred Triduum (three days) records all the events leading up to this momentous event, with the repercussions and the consequences. Today’s gospel comes from John’s gospel, but remember that Mark’s gospel, in the opinion of most scholars, ends with the empty tomb and nothing more! Mark asks us to draw our own conclusions from that situation and ponder the words of the angel encountered by Mary Magdalene and other women with her:

“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing” (Mark 16:6-8).

The Resurrection, Sebastiano Ricci 1715, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK.

Those simple words: “He is risen” says it all. So how did those three days come to that point? Jesus knew he was playing into the hands of those who hated him. The most recent event, which certainly sealed his fate, was the raising of Lazarus from death (John 11:38-44). That took place in Bethany, very close to Jerusalem. It was certain that word of that event reached Jerusalem at lightning speed, and was almost certainly the cause of the rapturous welcome Jesus received when entering the city shortly after (commemorated last Sunday). Only the Messiah of God could ever have done such a thing! So Jesus knew that once it became known that he was not the kind of Messiah everyone expected, there would be a huge negative reaction. Look at this clip from the Zeffirelli film of Jesus of Nazareth, made in 1977, with an imaginary meeting of Jesus with Barabbas in the Temple area at that time. Once word got around that Jesus was not the type of Messiah the people had longed for over the centuries, his fate was sealed.

That certitude set the tone of the Last Supper, remembered on Maundy Thursday. On that occasion, Jesus recalled the events of the Passover, which the Last Supper commemorated, where God not only made possible the enslaved Hebrews to escape Egypt forever, but also gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, and, more importantly, created a covenant with the people that made them the Chosen People of God. It is all described in Exodus 24: Following God’s orders, a stone altar was built, representing God, surrounded by 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Animals were sacrificed as fellowship offerings. Half the blood of the animals was sprinkled over the altar, and the other half over the people. Remember that the blood of sacrificed animals represented life, not death. This was the symbolic representation of the life of the people linked with the life of God. It was this event Jesus paralleled in the Last Supper, but took it to an unimaginably higher level. He stated that the wine of the Supper was his blood, the new covenant, which his disciples were told to take and drink. Jesus linked his life with those of his friends in the most intimate possible way: they took his life blood into themselves. This is why, in Luke’s account of the Last Supper, “Jesus gave them the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is God’s new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you”. Not only that. The Passover meal, which celebrated the release of the Jews from slavery in Egypt for the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, meant they had to prepare for a hasty exit, so unleavened bread, quickly made without yeast (which takes time to rise), was the hallmark. That would be their sustenance for the journey. Jesus took that unleavened bread at the Last Supper and declared it to be his body, which would sustain us for our life journey (the reason why communion bread is unleavened). Then his order, or mandatum in Latin, hence “Maundy”, was to “Do this in memory of me”, which is considered to be the establishment of the ordained ministry, to celebrate this event in his memory forever. Hence he would be with us forever, until the end of time.

The Last Supper, The Predella 1435-1440, St. Elizabeth’s Chapel, Basilica Co-Cathedral of St Mary, Gdansk, Poland.

Good Friday recalls the dread events of Jesus’ death, sealed by his answer to the high priest’s question, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”. Mark reports Jesus’ answer “I Am” to that question, very close to the most sacred name of God, Yahweh, I AM WHO AM. He was condemned for blasphemy. The high priest was not empowered to condemn him to death, but the Roman governor was. With the embittered people crying for his death as they thought themselves betrayed by this so-called Messiah, Pilate gave in and Jesus was killed in the most deliberately brutal way. He took the pain and suffering for all our sins on his shoulders willingly, paying for what we have done and asking nothing in return, save belief in him. 

The Cross of Jesus, Pixars.us.

Jesus’ dead body was taken down from the cross and laid in a stranger’s tomb and left, awaiting anointing once the Passover Day was ended. No person witnessed the resurrection, but there might be the most extraordinary possible witness to that event. The artifact, the most studied in the world, the Shroud of Turin, is, perhaps, the most fascinating witness to this unique, world-changing event. It displays all the marks of a crucified man. It dates from the time of Christ, has the nail wounds which differ from almost all the pictures of Christ crucified, but which experts say would have to be those on a crucified body. There are many other elements of this piece of linen which point to that all-important event. The scare some years ago that it was a fake have been swamped by evidence that it was deeply flawed in the way it was obtained. Ultimately there is no way to prove it is the burial cloth of Jesus, but just look at what has been discovered from this one piece of material. And gaze at the serene face imprinted on it…

And then the event itself, Jesus’ conquest of death. The Shroud may be the moment that happened, a photograph, if you like, of that most significant moment, but ultimately it is a question of faith: Do YOU believe that Jesus conquered death itself? Our Greek Christian brothers and sisters greet each other today with the statement “Χριστός Ανέστη” (Christos Anestē – “Christ is Risen”) and the response is “Aληθώς Aνέστη” (Alithōs Anestē – “Truly He is Risen”) which is much more appropriate to the day than “Happy Easter”, where Easter is, in fact, a pagan word coming from the Old English word Auston or dawn, towards the sunrise, the east. Most European words for Easter parallel the Jewish word for the feast of Passover when all this happened (Spanish Pasqua, Italian Pasqua, Swedish Påsk, Greek Πάσχα (Páscha), and so on). However we English speakers can console ourselves with the thought that the dawn of a new, eternal life of happiness with God dawned with Jesus conquering death on this day.

Χριστός Ανέστη!

Adoration of the Holy Trinity, Albrecht Dürer 1508, destroyed in the Second World War, Vienna, Austria.

The crucified figure on the Shroud of Turin.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS AN AN ACQUAINTANCE WHO MIGHT FIND IT HELPFUL, REASSURING AND FULL OF HOPE. THANK YOU AND HAPPY EASTER!

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

Please send your reactions to: RogerJohn@aol.com 

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SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2025: PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION.

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The Last Supper, Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris, France.

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Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”    Luke 22:19.

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The beginning of Passiontide, Holy Week, commemorates the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Just as the prophet Zechariah had foretold, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (9:9). The stories that had preceded Jesus, above all the raising of Lazarus from the dead just a few miles away in Bethany, seemed to put a seal on it; here, at last, was the Messiah long promised by God, come to rescue God’s people from oppression and evil. And Jesus was greeted as a king, with today’s special entrance gospel reporting the people as proclaiming, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest”. Their joy and hope could not be any greater! This was the man who would restore the kingdom of David and at last expel the hated, pagan Romans. And Jesus knew this and also knew what was to follow, and yet he allowed this delirious crowd scene to take place.

The Entry into Jerusalem, Lippo Memmi 1335-1345, Santa Maria Assunta, San Gimignano, Italy.

It is important to remember this scene, as it accounts for what happened next. After this event the people were waiting to be called to arms and led by God’s Messiah to military triumph and victory. It was the universal understanding of what the Messiah would do. All he had to do was summon them, and victory was theirs. Except, of course, he didn’t. In Zeffirelli’s rendition of Jesus of Nazareth, he has an imagined meeting of Jesus with Barabbas in the Temple a few days later, who asks him when the uprising will begin. Jesus says those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and more. The bewildered man does not see the Messiah he has imagined, but a man of forgiveness and mercy. And he rejects Jesus, as does the whole city who now begin to call for his death, so bitter is their disappointment in this man who had fooled them all. To have a fever pitch of enthusiasm crushed to a feeling of betrayal accounts for the call for his death, all in the space of a few days, especially as it was so close to Passover. Recall that Passover commemorated the release from slavery in Egypt, just as the Jews longed for release from the power of the Roman Empire over them. And the Lord knew this, yet he also knew that he had to remain true to his vocation, being Christ to the world, even if that meant proclaiming a message of love and forgiveness rather than a call to arms and warfare. It was a message that condemned him to a brutal death, driven by the bitter sense of betrayal held by the people of Jerusalem, encouraged by the chief priests who feared him. His image of the Messiah was the opposite of what everyone expected. So he had to die.

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), Titian 1558-1560, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.

So today marks the start of Passion Week, when each year we contemplate the fate of this wonderful man who had done nothing wrong and everything right, yet who was reviled, scourged and brutally nailed to a wooden cross because he did not fit the image of the Messiah that everyone expected. He was God’s Messiah, not the craven image of a man of warfare, physical strength and military victory. Jesus’ total commitment to his vocation – to show the real and true meaning of what it is to be human – resulted in disaster; until it became clear that it was all true. That to live as he did and act the way he acted results in a life of eternal happiness with God. And that is worth everything. 

The Cross, pixers.

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD APPRECIATE THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE FORWARD IT TO THEM. THANK YOU. 

Reflections on Mass Readings for the Sacred Triduum will be posted on Wednesday.

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SUNDAY 6 APRIL 2025: THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT.

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The Woman Caught in Adultery, Sunflower Seeds, SND Blogs.

“Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.   John 8:5-8.

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Our Lord, Jesus as we call him, Y’shua bar Josef as his friends would have called him, was a very clever man. He was perceptive, could read people accurately and know when they were friendly and when they were out to get him. In today’s scene, they are definitely out for his blood. Someone had discovered a woman in a compromising situation which clearly demonstrated that she was committing adultery. The Jewish law on that point is pretty clear: “If a man commits adultery with the wife of an Israelite, both he and the woman shall be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). In fact, any adultery was punishable by death. (And, by the way, where was the man caught in the very act in this scenario?). So those who had any dislike of the Lord thought they had found their ultimate weapon. If he agreed that the law said that, and the woman should be put to death, they would retort that here was the man who preached forgiveness even concerning the hated Romans! Guilty of duplicity, Orwellian doublethink! If, on the other hand, he said she should be forgiven, then he would be be trashing the law of Moses and be guilty of blasphemy! Damned if he did; damned if he didn’t! So what did the Lord do? Knelt down and wrote in the dust something not recorded in Scripture, unfortunately. It is the only occasion in the gospels that Jesus wrote anything! However, his enemies persisted: Answer! Answer! And he did: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”. See the picture above. Not going against the Law, but placing an impossible condition on it. People in those days lived in fairly small communities. There were no gigantic cities back then. Jerusalem was estimated to be about 80,000 strong at that time. So probably those who disliked Jesus would certainly know each other, probably churchy types, strict adherents of the Law. They would also know each other, their histories and habits. Anyone who picked up a stone would have invited all sorts of memories and lapses to be remembered and giggled over, so it was not advisable to even begin…. They drifted away, leaving the terrified woman alone. Note she did not admit her sin and ask forgiveness, but Jesus forgave her anyway but told her not to sin again. Adultery remained a sin, and still does. But those who admit it, know it is wrong and resolve to amend their ways and seek forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation, are forgiven. No stoning necessary, just personal reform and determination to change. Whether the injured partner forgives is another thing altogether, but that is a different matter. 

The other two readings today talk of new beginnings, Ezekiel talking of God placing the divine spirit in the people to make them ready to settle once more on their land. This concerns the Babylonian exile which was to end with the arrival of the Persian king Cyrus the Great who defeated the Babylonians and issued a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. Many did, but probably more remained as they had become very successful in Babylon. But one change has been noted by scholars studying this period which is significant. Prior to the exile, the Jewish people were so-called monolateralists. That means that other gods and goddesses were recognized and respected in Jewish households. After the exile, monotheism dominated and all other beliefs were absolutely rejected. In a sense, therefore, the people of God had undergone a change and were now, as it were made perfect. Ezekiel’s prophecy had come to pass.

A similar transformation is captured in the second reading. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” it says. It continues, “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness”. And the consequence of this is clearly stated: “…the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you”. And now, if we return to the dramatic story in today’s gospel, the woman who was almost stoned to death now confronts a life-changing moment; will she or won’t she change? And here we all are, approaching the end of Lent, which invites us to change for the better. We may not have the luxury, as it were, of a dramatic moment where we face possible futures in that same way. But we are all invited to consider such. Will we attempt even a little change for the better or not? God is calling us to do exactly that, and only each one of us can answer that call.

Heaven and Hell, Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa 13th century, Pisa Cathedral, Italy.

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SUNDAY 30 MARCH 2025: THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: LAETARE SUNDAY.

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The Return of the Prodigal Son, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo 1667-1670, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA.

[His father] said to [his older son], ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’    Luke 15: 31-32.

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Today has possibly the most famous of all of Jesus’ parables, the Prodigal Son, prodigal meaning, in this case, he had spent everything on things which vanish (“swallowed up your property with prostitutes” as his older brother put it) and he had nothing to show for it. I can quite imagine that the majority of us sympathize almightily with the older son… But Jesus, as ever, upends us yet again, making us think, reflect and quite possibly change our minds. But first, some interesting points: (1) – The younger son went really to “a distant country” because, as he ended up taking care of pigs, a food forbidden by Leviticus 11:7: “Do not eat pigs; they must be considered unclean”, strongly suggests a pagan land, a long way from home; it also meant he had reached complete degradation. (2) – He “came to his senses”. Such moments should be carefully considered, as sometimes the Finger of God is there. Alcoholics sometimes experience that, waking one day amid mess and chaos and wonder what am I doing? In the 1951 movie “Christmas Carol”, the reformed Scrooge welcomes his astonished clerk Bob Cratchet with an increase in salary and a promise to help his family with the explanation, “I haven’t lost my senses Bob, I’ve come to them”. As did the prodigal son. (3) – The prodigal then sets out returning home, with his apology memorized, but his father sees him before he sees his father! His father had been looking out for him every day with hope. (4) – He is not given enough time to get out his full apology before his father instantly orders a huge celebration of thanks for his return. (5) – But the older brother refuses to enter the house and join the celebration, as he is so angry, but his father goes out to him! (6) – His older brother is so angry that he says to his father, “but when your son returns…you slaughter the fatted calf”. He is incapable of calling him his brother! His father then speaks the rationale of forgiveness and love. We are not given the response, if any, of the older son.

Forgiveness is central to the Christian spirit. Jesus forgave his torturers! From the cross itself! Do we have it in us to forgive each and every time it is called for? In October 2006, in the Pennsylvania hamlet of West Nickel Mines, in the one-room Amish schoolhouse of elementary children, Charles Roberts, the local milkman, walked into the schoolhouse and shot dead six young girls and wounded four others. He then shot himself. Read the whole sad history here. It was one of the worst crimes ever. The Amish reaction to the crime was what caught the attention of the world: forgiveness. Their leaders even went to the perpetrator’s house to comfort his widow. There was no evidence of anger, retribution or fury, just forgiveness amid broken hearts. It was the perfect Christian example of what Jesus was telling us in his parable. Forgiveness is difficult, sometimes verging on the impossible, but it is what each Christian must do, and from the heart.

And that new thought might well be reflected in today’s second reading: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come”. If the Lord  is telling us to forgive in each and every occasion which warrants it, it might well be a brand-new experience for many of us. It is so easy to hold a grudge because of some incident, perhaps years ago, where we were hurt in some way. So many Hollywood movies rest on such a premise that it becomes second nature. But today’s teaching flies in its face. No, we are not to hold grudges, because that means we have not forgiven. Does that mean we bury the hatchet? Yes; but we do not have to forget where. We are not required to become a soft target for the evil of others, just to be more careful and alert, perhaps even become a teacher of good behavior which Christians are called to do. As today’s second reading says, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation”. And it even says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him”. This is such a remarkable statement that volumes have been written about it. What on earth does it mean? Jesus was sinless! But, as the scholars say, because “he became flesh”, he took on our sinful nature in order to allow us to become sinless, should we so choose. Another interpretation is that Jesus’ sacrifice was the same as the sacrifice of a sinless and innocent lamb in reparation for sins we have committed; Jesus was the “sinless offering” to enable us to be sinless in the eyes of God. It follows that the suffering he endured includes the sins we have committed in our lifetime. Take a look at this. 

And so we can rejoice in the sacrifice of the Lord for our sake, that we might become sinless in the sight of God, hence the name for this midpoint in Lent, Laetare, or “Rejoice” in Latin from the opening prayer today, “Rejoice Jerusalem!”  We are invited by God to become sinless, joyful, true followers of the Lord – to become, in fact, the forgiver as represented by the father in today’s parable. Forgiveness, then, is so close to the heart of God as to be inseparable from it. 

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SUNDAY 23 MARCH 2025: THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT.

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Moses and the Burning Bush, Jean Baptiste van Loo, no date, Chi-Mei Museum, Tainan City, Taiwan

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When the LORD saw him coming over to look at [the burning bush] more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.      Exodus 3: 5-4.

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Today’s first reading has to be among the most famous scenes from Scripture. Put it another way, who has NOT heard of the Burning Bush? Moses, caring for his flock of sheep, noticed that there was a bush on fire, presumably isolated from neighboring vegetation otherwise he might just have gathered the whole flock and moved away from apparent danger. But no, this was unusual, as there was no spreading of the flames, but even stranger, the fire was not consuming the bush; it just burned and burned. So, as anyone would, he got up and went over to take a closer look. And then he heard The Voice, as shown in the caption above. Clearly this was something very, very, special. He heard the voice telling him he stood on holy ground and that therefore he should remove his sandals as a sign of respect. This Moses did. But who or what, we might ask, was going on and whose voice was it? It turned out that Moses was probably thinking the same thing, because the voice from the bush anticipated it, and stated “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” In other words, here was the God who had inspired the founding fathers of the faith into which Moses had been born many generations later. Understandably, Moses was reluctant, terrified even, to look up, for to see the face of God was to die. There is nothing in the text to say Moses looked up even for a second. Then God began to explain what this incredible scene was all about.

Now, recall that Moses, who had grown up in the household of the Egyptian king, the pharaoh, having been rescued from the River Nile following the order of the king that all Hebrew boys were to be destroyed (the Hebrews had become too numerous and hence were a threat to the Egyptians). An Egyptian princess had rescued him and had brought him up amid privilege and wealth, including, it can be assumed, a fine education. Hence he was special – Hebrew slaves were not educated. But he knew his roots, that he was Hebrew, not Egyptian. One day he was outside and an incident took place which meant he had to escape Egypt. Read all about it here. That explains why he was a humble shepherd when today’s incident took place. But God had other plans for him, and I believe this to be the underlying theme of today’s readings. But before we get on to that, consider the implications of what followed between God and Moses. Moses agreed to return to Egypt and obey God’s command that he insist the pharaoh release all Hebrew slaves and allow them to depart to the land promised them by God, a land “flowing with milk and honey”. But then Moses asked, “But when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” (Remember that all the Egyptian gods had names, Isis, Osiris, Ptah, etc.). Note that God had only given Moses his titles (“The God of Abraham” etc.), not the personal name of God, which was, until this moment, completely unknown. So God answered, “I am who am.” Then God added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.” In Hebrew, Yahweh. This is the most sacred name in existence. To strict Jews it is never to be spoken. So ancient is this stricture that no-one is really sure how to pronounce the name properly. The consequence is that Moses now has an intimate bond with God: he knows the sacred name, and a sacred relationship was now established as never before between Moses and God, who, note, also called Moses by his name. Later, through Moses, that relationship was expanded to the entire Hebrew people, now the Chosen People of God.

The Tetragrammaton, the Sacred Name of God, Museum of Stained Glass, Chicago, USA.

Moses had fled Egypt as there was, so to say, a price on his head for killing an Egyptian who was striking a Hebrew. Given today’s first reading, it is clear that God had forgiven Moses, presumably taking all things concerning the incident into account. Scripture also tells us that the pharaoh of that time had died, suggesting that Moses was less likely to be accused of a crime. But now God had given him a much more important mission, to lead God’s people out of Egypt to a new, promised, land. Clearly this mission was greater than tending sheep; yes he was to be a shepherd still, but of God’s chosen people! And here we can begin to see the links in today’s readings. God has given each one of us a mission, and the talents – skills – to enable us to fulfill such a mission. The second reading demonstrates that the rescued Hebrews, instead of being overwhelmed with gratitude that God had led them out of slavery, acted in ways which were not evident of thanksgiving. Yes, life is tough, even horrible at times, but there is always a God of love ready to assist us. Instead, as the second reading says, many Hebrews “desired evil things” and many of them “grumbled” about their conditions. In other words, they brought evil upon themselves.

This stands in contrast to today’s gospel however. Two incidents are mentioned, presumably current and well-known at the time, where people had died, which were not the result of dissatisfaction with God, but simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Poor construction caused one disaster, and a brutal Roman governor the other. All who suffered were not guilty of anything in those cases. But, concluding, Jesus does point out that indeed each one of us has been given a divine vocation where we are responsible for what happens. The fig tree that produces no figs is pretty clearly not fulfilling its destiny, but is given one last chance. That applies to everyone with no exception. We are all gifted by God, some more abundantly than others, and only God knows why. But each one of us is expected to use our God-given talents in ways God expects, to serve God, others and self. On that we can be sure we will be judged. This being Lent, we are all asked to consider our response to that challenge anew: are we, in fact, fulfilling our destiny? A grand word – but the right one for each one of us. And with God happy and willing to assist us in that, are we grabbing that opportunity and doing what we ought? Are we being God’s true, obedient and willing children?

The Fruitful Fig Tree, Jill Morgan, Homes and Gardens, January 2023.

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SUNDAY 16 MARCH 2025: THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT.

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The Transfiguration, Titian c.1563, The Church of San Salvador, Venice, Italy.

“While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah….”   Luke 9:29-30.

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The Transfiguration is recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and today’s gospel from Luke. There is no clear mention of it in John, though John chapter 1 verse 14 does say. “We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father’s only Son”. But it is clearly a key event which established Jesus’ authority and closeness to God, an event which gave the Lord an undoubted authority acceptable to his disciples. He was worthy of belief. He appeared with two towering figures from Scripture, Moses, who had received the 10 Commandments from God, and Elijah who, most famously, was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire:

Elijah Taken Up Into Heaven by Pieter Symonsz. Potter, private collection.

You may recall the reflection on the call of Peter by Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, 9th February 2025, the fifth Sunday in ordinary time. I mentioned that Peter must have seen in Jesus the “real thing”. That impression was the reason he had agreed to go out fishing once more, although an entire night’s labor had produced nothing. But he discovered that Jesus was, in fact, the real thing, confirmed by a huge catch of fish, and then left everything to follow him; clearly he thought Jesus was worth more than a record catch! Today’s extraordinary episode, therefore, can be seen as the confirmation of that moment. Here now was the Lord standing between two of the mightiest figures in Scripture. Not only that, but a voice from heaven, clearly that of God, identified Jesus as Son of God, and the three witnesses were ordered “Follow Him”! 

So the Transfiguration of the Lord can be seen as a kind of bonding between Jesus and his three closest followers. Having experienced this unique event, they were pretty certain that this man was, indeed, the long-promised Messiah. Today’s first reading is also a bonding moment, this time between God and Abram (soon to be renamed Abraham by God). Abram was an old man, over 75, and God approached him and laid out a promise. He had already told him that he was to be made into a great nation (Genesis 12:2) but this time God was more specific. “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so shall your descendants be.” Now most of us tend to live in cities, and if we look up, we can see the moon and perhaps a few more stars and that’s it, today called “light pollution”. But if we go to a remote part of the state, staying in a cabin or similar, and look up at night, the sight is unbelievable. Indeed unforgettable. That is why God said to Abram “count the stars, if you can”. Because you can’t. And professional astronomers tell us there are probably 30 and 70 billion trillion stars up there! Well, God knew that, but Abram would be simply overawed at the promise. He didn’t even have a single child at that time! And his wife was in her 60s! So it might be reasonable to think that he took God’s promise with a pinch of salt. Then the extraordinary event in today’s first reading took place. It was an ancient bonding covenant which looks terrible to us, with divided animal bodies and dead birds and blood all over the place. But such agreements, treaties or whatever were not uncommon then, and even survive in various forms today. The presence of blood in the more ancient forms symbolizes life rather than death, even between two individuals. And if you are a fan of Wagner, there is even a blood brotherhood scene in Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods). Note also that blood was sprinkled over the Ark of the Covenant on the one day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple. It combined the life of the two parties in the treaty In the case of today’s first reading, it was the life of God and Abram. But note that in that case it was one-sided. Abram did not  pass through the blood offerings, only God in the form of fire and light. And the ultimate image of blood, of course, was at the Last Supper, with the Lord proclaiming the wine to be is most precious blood, the last and most sacred of all blood offerings. 

The final note is from today’s second reading. There is a solemn linking there as well: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body”. So Peter, James and John became confirmed completely as disciples of Jesus at the Transfiguration, God linked Abram, human life, to the divine at the covenant ceremony and Paul linked us to heavenly citizenship, the ultimate hope we all share. The only thing left is for each of us to live the life that honors such a Godly invitation and so become worthy of the invitation to become citizens of heaven.

The Covenant, Grafted-In Theological Musings.

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