The Crowning with Thorns

"Ecce Homo," that is, "Behold the Man," Pilate said to the crowd that had gathered to witness the proceedings against Jesus. At that moment, Jesus was brought forth wearing the crown of thorns. In a bizarre twist of irony, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was being acknowledged and mocked at the same time. He Who is the Word through Whom the universe was created was being rejected and given recognition in one and the same action.

The Mystery of Who Jesus Is and how He relates to human history is the heart of the Gospel. Each event that is recounted tells the whole story for those who have eyes to see it. "Behold the Man" shows us who we are. Jesus reveals God and He reveals us to ourselves. The crown points to His capacity to rule over all His creatures. The thorns imply our rejection of His sovereignty. And yet, the crown of thorns implies that He rules over us even in our efforts to separate ourselves from His power. His suffering is for us.

As we admit our sinfulness and weakness, we are put into contact with the strength and grace of the Lord Who frees us. When we look upon Him Whom we have rejected, we acknowledge His Kingship over us. Our sorrow at His plight, caused by our own choices, becomes a motive for care and concern for all who are left out. We see humanity in need of redemption, and we choose to cooperate with the only source of salvation, Christ the King.

The Scourging at the Pillar

Jesus Christ came to redeem the whole of human nature. All that happened to Him in His human nature was at the service of the Revelation of the Father and the gift of Salvation and Redemption won for us through the grace of the Holy Spirit operating in that nature. The suffering of Jesus, physical and personal, reveals to us how intimately one with us He is.

When Jesus was scourged, the cruelty of human beings to other human beings was made known without any hiddenness. An innocent Lamb, One Who was guilty of no crime -- declared innocent by Pontius Pilate himself -- was made to suffer in His very flesh. The mortification of the flesh that was inflicted on Him shows the strength inherent in our human nature. He kept going even after such ill treatment.

Our "sins of the flesh" are met with redemption through the scourging of the Lord. He took upon Himself the guilt of us all. Mercy was given mercilous punishment, and He met it with meekness. Compassion for the sufferings of the Lord leads us to have a greater compassion for our brothers and sisters, even those who treat us with cruelty.

God has redeemed us through Jesus Christ. "By His stripes, we are healed."

The Agony in the Garden

Moments of decision are an opportunity to exercise the greatest gift to human beings from God: our free will. When we make a choice, we perform an act that is distinctly human. A choice that comes from the depths of our being has implications far beyond the experience of the moment itself. What causes agony in decision-making is not the act itself, but the awareness of the results that will follow from the act. We fear the outcome of our choice whether we have a clear sight on it or not. For most human beings, the imagination can intensify the anguish due to its tendency to magnify our fears.

For Jesus, the moment of decision to embrace His suffering and death was intensely experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had poured out all He had to His disciples at the Last Supper. He brought them with Him to the Garden where they had often prayed, in sight of the Temple across the Kidron Valley. They fell asleep, so He was alone, humanly speaking, in this most profound moment of decision. If He chose, He could have left them in the garden to face His enemies. It would have been so easy to walk up the Mount of Olives in the darkness, to find His way alone to Bethany, where no doubt Martha, Mary and Lazarus would have assisted Him to escape. Instead, He remained. After His triple prayer, "Thy Will be done," He woke His disciples and entered into the encounter that would bring about His final act of surrender to the Father's Will.

The Agony was a moment of intense Love. The Father loved the world, and so sent His only Son to be our Savior. The Son so loved the Father and, sharing His love for the world, embraced all that Love required. The Spirit stretched the humanity of the Son of God to embrace the full reality of human life, even death, death on a Cross. The decision to embrace this experience beyond fear made all the difference.

Mary's Pondering Heart

"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

"He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart." (Luke 2:51)

The Pondering in her Heart of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is Contemplative Prayer par excellence. The Mother of our Lord said Yes to God, accepting the Son of God into her very flesh, participating in a physical way in the act of the Incarnation. In the face of all the things that happened to her in relation to her Son, she pondered. She did not doubt. She accepted Truth as it was spoken to her and in her. And yet, she reflected and she kept all that happened in her heart.

Light comes into darkness and the first streaks of dawn are seen by those who watch for it. Mary herself is the first soul to receive the fullness of salvation offered to all open to it by her Son. As she accepts Him, lives with Him, watches Him grow in wisdom and grace, she too grows. The Truth of Who He Is dawns upon her Faith.

Mary perseveres through the difficulties that come from opposition to her Son and she is with Him, still pondering, as He experiences His Passion. Her heart embraces Hope and she holds onto that Hope in the midst of the Disciples of her Son. As a Mother, she holds all her children in her heart and stays with them as they contemplate God's call in their lives as well.

The open, receptive, pondering heart of Mary is a reminder to all of the power of Prayer to accomplish great things. The heart pierced by a sword comes to understand the meaning of Suffering, and the thoughts of many hearts are laid bare, coming to a moment of Truth when it is acknowledged that All Things are Possible with God, and that only God's Grace can sustain us.

Mary's Fiat, from the Annunciation to the Pietà, flows from her Pondering Heart. May all her children learn from her to live in accord with God's Word, that His Will may be done in us.

Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper

On the night before He died, Jesus celebrated a moment with His disciples that served to establish a way of being with Him for the rest of Time. The Holy Eucharist gathered together into one simple ritual all that He had taught and all the He has lived with them, and became the most intimate manner of passing on to other all that was entrusted to the disciples. For all Time, the Presence of the Lord with His own will be most intensely experienced in the Eucharist.

It is an experience of unity. The One God makes known to us the truth that human nature and divine nature are wedded together in Christ. Jesus, Who longed to share this Supper with His disciples, makes them one with Him in the act of sharing the Passover. Past, Present and Future are brought together. Time and Eternity are linked. All who have prepared the way, all who are on the journey, and all who are to come are joined in a unity that is effected by the Spirit.

It is a sacrifice. It begins for Jesus the final act of His pouring out His life for the salvation of the world. The New Covenant is made in the very act of giving over His Body and Blood, the act that would be consummated on the Cross. Its celebration makes present to all who experience it the saving Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord.

It is a sacred meal. It is an experience of Communion with God and with fellow believers. It joins together the simple sharing at table and the high ritual of Passover, calling for a sharing of life and hospitality. It brings to completion all the meals Jesus shared with His followers and the Signs He performed among them, revealing God's power to feed and nourish His People in Word and Sacrament.

It is a transformation of the material world into the bearer of Spirit. Transubstantiation of the substance of bread and wine into the Lord's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, accomplishes the New Creation. This opens the way to the transformation of human beings that will enable us to enter into the Union of Love that is the Life of the Holy Trinity.

It is the Presence of the Lord in the Breaking of the Bread, the enduring sign of the Truth that in Jesus, God has "pitched His tent," that is "tabernacled" among us. Through the Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, believers are invited to taste the Glory of Eternity even as we continue our journey through Time.

Trasfiguration

Our human nature is destined for greatness. We will share in the very glory of God. It has already begun to shine in our nature in the Person of Jesus Christ and in those who live in His Light. The Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor was a moment in time that was witnessed by human beings. It was a moment of intense prayer, when the Lord Himself was so thoroughly immersed in the Love of His Father and in the Truth of the Law and the Prophets that the Heavens opened. Moses and Elijah were with Him on the mountain, revealing that He is the fulfillment of their journeys, the unveiling of the Revelation that was given to them in many and various ways. The Father's Voice renewed the experience at the Baptism of the Lord: "This is My Beloved Son; Listen to Him."

Peter, James and John did not grasp the meaning of this encounter, but they knew that something profound had taken place. They had a glimpse of the Power at work in Jesus. This taste of glory was operating in them as they lived through the painful events of the Lord's Passion and Death. They came to understand something of its meaning when He rose from the dead. For us, it is a reminder that our human nature is destined for glory and, through Christ, is capable of it. We are, by grace, capax Dei, capable of being in union with God.

In the light of the Transfiguration, we experience hope. God's Plan include us as we are, human beings who share human nature with Jesus Christ. May our intuition of glory sustain us through the struggles of life in this world.

Proclamation of the Kingdom & Call to Conversion

From the moment Jesus returned from the desert with its temptaions, He had two major subjects that He presented to any who would listen. First and foremost, He proclaimed the Kingdom of God. In His own Person, God was intervening in the world in such a way as to bring the Kingdom among us. Second, but equally important, He offered the opportunity to all who heard Him to a change of mind and heart. The Call to Conversion is a constant call to every human being. The only way to be open to the Kingdom is to change mind and heart to accommodate the Revelation of God.

God's ways and thoughts are above our ways and thoughts. The Kingdom of God, the gift of Eternity, is beyond anything this world can offer. In order for me to learn something of what God wants me to experience, I have to let go of what I already know and possess. Jesus invites me to enter His world. "Turn away from sin and believe the Good News." The beginning of Jesus' public ministry is found in this twofold message: the Kingdom and Conversion.

The hearts of those who approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation are already open to Jesus' double message. They are sincerely sorry for past sinful choices and they are ready to leave them behind. They are also ready for something new: a new way of being, new habits and behaviors that correspond to the gift of Mercy experienced in the Sacrament.

We are all invited to share Jesus' passion for the Kingdom and to call others to His Way of Life.

The Wedding Feast of Cana

A Wedding gathers family. Family grows, adding in new members, now related by marriage, and friends join in. A Mother is invited. Because she is there, her Son comes too. Having ventured out into the world, He now brings friends along--His disciples. They know that He is Someone important, but as yet, they have not seen all. In the midst of this celebration, there is a reminder that not everyone is always ready for all the guests. Who knew that there would be thirsty fishermen in the crowd? They have no wine.

The Mother tells her Son. It is not time, He says. She steps away, "Do whatever He tells you." It is time. He speaks a simple command: "Draw water." Moses struck the rock. Water flowed. Water abounds. He makes it Wine. Not just any Wine, but the best Wine. Beginning to attend to His every Word, His disciples discern something New. They see His Glory, for the first time. They begin to believe in Him.

Lack is not an obstacle. A Mother's Heart once again says "Yes" and lets it be. And the fullness of time arrives for Glory to be seen. No angels sing out. This time it is only human beings at a Wedding Feast. The Bridegroom makes Himself present to His Bride. Eyes that are attentive and Ears that are listening begin to grasp the deeper meaning. The Light shines forth and grace abounds.

How happy the Bride and Groom! It is a moment of joy and fulfillment. May we open our hearts to drink deeply of the New Wine.

The Baptism of the Lord

At the moment of Jesus' Baptism by John in the Jordan, a manifestation of the Glory of the Lord and the Relationships of the Holy Trinity took place. The Scriptures make it clear that something truly mystical unfolded there. As the different Gospels present a description of what happened in that scene, it is evident that it affected all who were part of it in a profound way. Jesus was touched by it and went out into the desert for 40 days afterwards, returning to take up His public ministry. John the Baptist experienced a confirmation of his own ministry and a sense of the fulfillment for which he was looking. Bystanders saw a physical sign of the Presence of the Holy Spirit. The Father weighed in on the beginning of His Son's public ministry with the spoken affirmation of favor.

The Mystery of the Lord's Baptism points to the grace of Baptism as it is given to each Christian. There is a relationship with God, a Providential favor that is bestowed upon every son and daughter, adopted into the family of God through Baptism. The Presence and action of the Holy Spirit, although now hidden, is still very real. The humanity of Jesus first received the grace that would be poured out in time on all who believe in Him.

A call, a vocation, a ministry is entrusted to each human being who is open to receive the touch of grace. Assent in Faith to the invitation to be one with God through Jesus and to share God's Life and Love with the community of believers makes possible a public witness of relationship with God. The waters of the Jordan are a sign of the waters of Baptism that flows freely from the moment the Sacrament is received until they well up into Eternal Life.

Immaculate Conception

Our God is a God of Providence. He provides for our needs and ensures that we have all the resources we need to be and to do what He asks of us. We are utterly surrounded by God's Love. Mary is addressed by the Angel as "highly favored," also translated "full of grace." She is told that she has "found favor with God." Literally, the angel says, "you have found grace in God's eyes." In other words, there is a special sparkle, a glint in God's eye for this highly favored daughter. We have come to understand one aspect of this fullness of favor as her unique privilege of being made in perfection from the first moment of her existence, being kept free from original sin.

In simple terms, the Church's Faith says that Mary was preserved as free from sin in view of the merits of her Son's Redemptive Act, for the sake of her ministry as the Mother of the Son of God. She notes in her Magnificat that the All-Powerful God "has looked upon her in her lowliness." God's purifying and redeeming look has a power beyond our understanding. In Mary's case, it gives her the gift of perfect human nature, so that she can freely cooperate with God's plan of Salvation, giving human nature to her Son Jesus.

This simple, wonderful "fact" of Mary's sinless human nature is a renewal, a "clean start" for the human race. Adam and Eve were created sinless. By their choice, they failed to pass on that state to us their children. God chose to renew humanity in Mary and her Son, the New Adam and the New Eve, cooperating with God's grace for all humanity.

The truth of the Immaculate Conception is a reminder that God can still reach our human nature even under the stain of sin. In Baptism, our original sin is washed away. Althoug we are not conceived without sin, we are born again of water and the Spirit and grace is given to us.

The Finding in the Temple

At the age of 12, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph, as was the family custom. Something new happens on this journey. He is no longer an infant, no longer a child. His "place" in the family is now ready to change. Neither Mary nor Joseph are surprised that He might be someplace else in the caravan. But there is something new happening. When He has to choose His place, He chooses the one place that serves to draw Him into the Presence of His Heavenly Father, the Temple. He remains there as the family departs without Him.

When Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus is not with them, they are distressed. They retrace their steps and return to Jerusalem. When they find Him, He is in the Temple, speaking to the teachers there, listening and asking questions, understanding and leading to deeper understanding in those who speak to Him. Seeing this scene, Mary is able to express to her Son the nature of the distress that she and Joseph have shared. And Jesus is able to respond to her from His new "place." Nonetheless, He returns with them to Nazareth and remains under their authority.

"Why did you look for Me? Did you not know I had to be in My Father's House?" Jesus says to His mother. He is inviting her to know Him in a new, more intimate way. The unity between mother and Son has always been present. It will continue to grow until that moment when the Son is on the Cross. At this moment, Mary has a pang in her heart. No doubt she recalls the words Simeon spoke to her a dozen years before in this very Temple. She does not yet know the depth of the pain that will come one day. For now, she has a few more years of peace with Jesus and Joseph. Yet, she must begin to create more room for her Son as He walks His own way. Her relationship to Him is changing. More and more, He must be about His Father's business.

With the Finding in the Temple, we meet Jesus in an experience that is very human. So many families can relate to the experience of the child lost or left behind. Teens and young adults can relate to the need to separate from parents in the journey of finding their own identity. Jesus reveals the way to negotiate through this human experience: honesty of purpose and, at the same time, an attitude of obedience.

In our world today, so many are lost and confused about their identity. In an effort to "find themselves" and to express their uniqueness, many are duped into establishing false selves or into defining their identity by aspects of themselves that are not the real center. The Finding in the Temple shows how one's true identity is to be discovered: through attending to relationship with the Living God. Seeking God first and being in His Temple will serve to bring each of us to the truth of who we are in God.

The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple

The joy in the heart of Mary and Joseph and the joy of God the Father at the moment of the Presentation of the Infant Child Jesus in the Temple had to have been incredible. Here, for the very first time since the dawn of the creation of human beings, a Perfect Humanity was given back to God, presented to Him in an act of worship.

It could have been an action that went unnoticed, just a young couple showing up at the Temple as expected by the Law. Instead, it proved to be a moment of completion, fulfillment and prophecy of consummation. The parents presented the Son of God, having accepted Him into their lives, now responding to the dictates of the Law. The just man Joseph and the sinless, immaculately conceived Virgin Mary, presented to God His own capstone, the Son of God and Son of Mary, accepted as the foster but full Son of Joseph, and so Son of David--the Messiah promised to the Anawim, the Poor in Spirit who longed for the consolation of Jerusalem. At this precise time, two unique persons caught a glimpse of the glory in the Child.

Simeon, moved by the Spirit, experiences his last and greatest encounter with the Living God, speaks a prophetic word to Mary's heart, and praises God for the Gift that he sees, the Light to the Nations and the Glory of Israel. Anna, a prophetess in her own right, there at that moment because she was always there, sees and knows and speaks of that joy to all who would listen. The parents marvel at the effect of their Child even before He Who Is the Word of God speaks His first Word--Abba.

There is a hint of the Suffering that will be born by this Perfect Human Nature. Already, Mary's heart is pierced by Simeon's prophecy of division occasioned by the Presence of Jesus and of her sharing in that in her own way. How sad Joseph must have been to see the hint of this in Mary's eyes, knowing that he could not protect her from such pain. Pondering in her heart, Mary would find the strength and courage to accept this reality as part of her Yes, the Fiat already spoken.

We can all share in the giving of humanity back to God. That is the one thing we are capable of doing through an act of the will and an attitude of worship. Husbands and Wives can do this for one another. Parents can do it for their children as they bring them to the Sacraments. All who are baptized may renew their self-gift each time they call to mind their Baptism and respond to the grace of the other Sacraments they encounter.

We see that Jesus followed the example of His earthly parents in His willingness to give up His humanity to us -- both on the Cross and through His enduring Eucharistic Presence.

May we come to know the joy of giving all we are and all we possess back to God, and so come to know the power of the Spirit Who stretches us toward that Perfect Humanity that Is in Jesus Christ.

The Nativity

Jesus Christ is born. We are standing at the moment of the Birth of Christ. The Incarnation began at a certain instant in time. The Birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem, bringing to light what had begun in secret. All of Creation has a share in the glory that is revealed in the Birth of the Messiah, the Redeemer Who was promised to our first parents. Advent and Christmas invite us to contemplate the Gift and the details surrounding its unveiling. Every Sacrament we experience suggests that it is still bearing fruit.

The birth of a child deserves to be met with joy by all. Each new human being should be recognized as a miracle, a precious reminder that God is still in the business of bringing forth our human nature, no matter how badly we may be responding to His generous Love. Sadly, in our day, the birth of a child is often looked upon as something to be avoided. And yet, the whole world still celebrates Christmas, even in a secularized form.

It has become commonplace to consider the child in the womb as an abstraction, a being that has no value or worth until it is brought to birth. Every mother knows that the child in her womb is a living being, a unique and unrepeatable gift. She acknowledges this deep within, even if she does not consciously hold this view. Women who have rejected their children at one level still long for them and mourn for them when they are gone at the level of being.

The simple fact that God chose to become one of us makes the birth of every human being something of eternal significance. It is the hope of Eternity that enables us to see goodness in the world. We want children to be born so that they and we may live our earthly lives and reach a fulfillment in Eternity. This same hope promises healing for those who make another false and deceptive "choice."

Mary and Joseph gave Jesus a place, albeit a humble place chosen by default. The Angels sang the truth of Salvation and the Glory that was revealed in that humble birth. Shepherds acknowledged the birth of the Good Shepherd, Christ the Lord. Magi journeyed from afar to acclaim the Universal King and Savior. We are invited to accept the One born in Bethlehem of Judea into our own lives. And so, Christ is born in us. In Him, Time and Eternity meet. Our time makes sense in the light of Who He Is and all that He reveals. He makes known to us the Truth of who we are and all that God wants for us. Born in Time, He brings us to birth in Eternity.

The Visitation

After hearing and responding to the Archangel's invitation to cooperate with God's Plan for the Coming of the Messiah, Mary immediately made ready to pay a visit to her cousin Elizabeth. The news that Elizabeth's barrenness was over brought Mary joy and she had to go to share it in person. What a lovely scene unfolds when they encounter one another! We are not told of Elizabeth's own experience of Heavenly messengers--all Luke tells about is her husband Zechariah's encounter in the Temple. But somehow she already knew about Mary and the Gift, the Presence of the Lord, secretly within her. The moment the voice of Mary reached her ears, the joy burst forth and the infant in the womb could be in that instant exactly who he was created to be, the precursor to the Bridegroom, leaping in joy.

Here it is the priesthood and the voice of prophecy, leaping in joy before the Ark of the Covenant and the Son of David Who is the Son of the Most High Present in that Ark. The Visitation highlights the wonderful Mystery of fulfillment of hopes and dreams and longings too deep for words, and the intuition of Truth deeper than awareness that has the power to remove all reproach. Elizabeth's acknowledgment of Mary's role and her blessed response to the Promise elicits from Mary a prayer of praise that highlights God's gift of Salvation. Her song is still sung each evening by the Church at prayer.

Visiting with those who have experienced the touch of God in their lives is a joy that I experience daily as a priest in a parish. Today, I visited with children in our elementary school who had witnessed the Baptism of a Second Grader at their School Mass yesterday morning. Everyone was so moved by the experience and the children were full of insights and questions. They all saw that something very special had happened to all of them as the Sacrament took place in their hearing. The young man who was baptized told our Religious Ed Director that he has he has been wanting to be baptized "for years." The fact that it worked out to happen in the presence of his classmates and of the whole School was a gift to all of us. The Second Grade teacher said, "They'll never forget it!"

When we begin to realize the power of the Sacraments and the joys that are ours in the sharing of the action of God's Spirit, we are renewed in hope. The burdens and struggles we face are lessened by the fact of our oneness in joy. God is with us. He has a Plan. Our "Yes" has already been said. Now we await the unfolding of the Mystery. God is worthy of our trust. We are blessed.

With Mary and Elizabeth, we can already taste the joy of Salvation. May our hearts be lifted by a proclamation of praise and a discovery that we are not alone.

The Solemnity of the Annunciation

I have wondered about blogging and whether it would be a good idea for me to try it out. Since I have now heard that there is something called twittering too, I decided I had better blog first and then check out whatever twittering may be.



The Annunciation is the moment when Time and Eternity met formally, utterly and in such a dramatic form that nothing has ever been the same since. Reflecting on the Annunciation in praying the Rosary, I am always struck by just how complete this Mystery is. It contains all the others "in seed." The Virginal Conception of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Eternal Son of the Father in the flesh is the start of everything. God did it. But human nature had a role--and still does!--in the act of saying "Yes." I believe that in spite of appearances, this has served to recreate the universe. Nothing that happens after this moment can take away the "invasion" of space and time by Eternity. And we all have a share in it.



Thank you, dear Mother Mary, for your "Yes." Pray for us now, that we may continue to respond to the grace that was given to all through the Incarnation of your Son.



For what it's worth, in this, my first act of blogging, I add my "Yes" to yours. May the Word made flesh continue to claim my heart, and may I hear the whisper of the Spirit laying claim to my humanity. May my "Yes" be clear and complete in the rest of the time allotted to me and in Eternity. Amen.