On that first day of the week, while it was still dark…Mary went to the tomb only to discover it empty….then she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple.” She was in a hurry to share what she had found; and by her sharing, a small community took up the search for Jesus…only to eventually discover “The Christ”…”The Risen One”.

Though we know well the Easter story, do we ever fully grasp its meaning? The stone has been rolled away…the tomb is empty for resurrected life cannot be contained! Like the first believers, we so often must continue to live even with our dashed hopes, our suffering and our misunderstanding of God’s mysterious power. Like the first believers, we come to the tomb and expect to find death, but instead we find signs of a new life that we cannot even begin to comprehend. Like the first believers, we do not realize that all of history has been broken open and is now filled with the resurrected presence of the Risen One! Even in the midst of war and famine, even in the midst of suffering and loss, the presence of the Risen One is with us, and never leaves us. It is this presence that gives us the strength to carry on and speak truth to power, to stand up for poor and the marginalized and fight against evil in all its ugly forms, that we know so well.

Christ has Risen…this is the day the Lord has made…let us rejoice and be glad!!! Like Mary Magdalene and the other disciples let us actively seek the risen One in our midst…in the ordinary of our daily lives…for as surely as Christ appeared to the disciples, Christ now appears to us in our lives! Let us keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the presence of the Risen One. Let us, like Mary, run forth to share the good new of Jesus Christ with all the world! I pray you all, God’s Most abundant Easter Blessings,

Fr. Tim

Today’s readings carry the sorrows and the weight of the world. The false accusations, denials, betrayals, injustice and beatings Jesus faced are heartbreaking. Today’s Eucharist begins with great joy with palm branches in hand, we sing victorious hymns to commemorate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Like the crowds, we too welcome and rejoice in his reign. Similar to the disciples, we are also excited and filled with wonderful expectations.

However when we listen to the passion of Jesus Christ, the mood of the crowds as well as that of the disciples changes swiftly. The crowds are fickle, cheering for Jesus one day and shouting “crucify him” the next day. Even many of his closest friends and followers sheepishly denied their knowledge of and association with him, and in cowardly fashion, abandoned him out of fear for their own safety.

Jesus, on the other hand is resolved to faithfully carry out his mission; the proclamation  of the advent of the Reign of God and of God’s lavish love and forgiveness poured out for each one of us, and for the earth itself…” for God so loved the world”. Through the suffering and death of Jesus we have been saved, forgiven -- our sins and guilt put as far from us “as the East is from the West”! We may wonder at times if God really loves us…and just how much…today we are reminded how much…as Christ spread his arms wide upon the cross…this is how much we are loved by God!

How do I live out my identity as the “beloved of God”? How can I share this message of God’s love and forgiveness with others? To whom am I being called to open wide my arms to embrace them in the midst of their need? Who are being crucified today…the millions of refugees, people because of the color of their skin, people crucified for their immigration status, for who they love, for what language they speak, for what part of the world or country they were born in, for their age, their gender, their intellectual or physical abilities? As I enter this Holy Week, whose burdens will I help to shoulder to the foot of cross as I journey with Jesus this week, and meditate upon the gift of love and forgiveness which he has so lavishly poured upon me, and upon all of humanity?

Lenten Blessings,
Fr Tim

I find it interesting that six years ago on the fifth Sunday of Lent was the first Sunday of Pope Francis’ pontificate and in the first reading that Sunday, as today, the prophet Isaiah told us that God said “see I am doing something new!” And on this Sunday, amid all of the disgrace and scandal within the church the Gospel tells us of a woman caught in the midst of adultery (my question is, where is the man?) dragged through the streets, demeaned and “disgraced”…screamed at and taunted, knowing all the time that she was about to be stoned to death! Undoubtedly she could feel the intense violent energy of the crowd that was gathering around her…how desperate she must have felt knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it. And yet Jesus stopped it…drawing in the sand…pointing out the sins of the very people who had condemned her and were about to stone her, supposedly all “in the name of God.” Jesus told the religious leaders they had it wrong…ultimately challenging “their laws” that demanded such violence.

There has been much written about this Gospel story, about it being a story of second chances…a story of new beginnings. Some scholars argue about the final line of this Gospel, as most translations have Jesus saying “neither do I condemn you, be on your way and sin no more.” However scholars point out that some ancient Greek texts do not actually contain the Greek words “sin no more” but rather the ancient texts use an archery term referring to “taking better aim”. It would seem then that Jesus encouraged the woman to be on her way and take better aim with her life.

Perhaps this is a moment in the church for “her” to “take better aim” as she moves forward into the future. Perhaps it is no coincidence that on the first Sunday of Pope Francis’ pontificate, the Gospel story was about a “woman”, demeaned and disgraced, about to be violently murdered…a Gospel story about the place and treatment of women in Jesus’ culture and society and Jesus’ refusal to participate in the systematic oppression and violent treatment of women. I cannot but help wonder if this Gospel story does not in fact call us to question the place and status of women in the church and in the world? Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us, especially men and in particular the clergy and religious leaders!

In today’s Gospel…just as Jesus challenged the “law” and the religious leaders…so too we are called to do the same! We live, still, in a world where women are bought and sold…where they are seen but not listened to…where true lasting and substantive justice and equality remain denied to women. It is quite clear that the men who drag her before Jesus include local religious leaders…and it is Jesus who takes a stand and ends the violence that was about to be done to her. And while the official church has been vocal on civil and human rights abuses of women around the world she remains far too silent on the just and meaningful place and role of women within the church!

How do I treat women in my life? What do I really think about the role of women in church and society? Do my views on women and their role and place in church and society truly reflect Gospel values? What would Jesus think about my views?

Lenten Blessings,
Fr Tim