Our Gospel this Sunday reminds us again of some powerful good news. It’s what I call the episode of the second chance. Now it is important that you remember who was there in those boats. Jesus’ disciples. You know, the ones who fled when he was arrested. The ones who, when he needed a bit of comfort, fell asleep on him. The ones who, when the going got tough, abandoned him. And there, too, was Peter, the leader, who figures so prominently in this story. He was there. Remember, he denied even knowing Jesus.
It is to these that Jesus appears. And he has a question. And it is urgently important that we realize what the question is not. His question is not “What have you done?” His question is not “Who were you in the past?” His question is not “Have you reformed?” His question is not “Do you remember your sins?” His question has nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the present. His question is simply “Here and now, do you love me?”
“Do you love me?” That’s all Jesus is interested in. Let bygones be bygones. Let sins be forgotten. Let mistakes be put aside. Let stupidities be buried. Let hurts be unrecorded. Let betrayals be unmentioned. All that matters is, “Right here, right now, do you love me?”
Can you sense the drama of this very personal gospel, the absolute forgiveness implied in the question, the total love of the Questioner? Can’t you sense that this gospel lives? That on this Sunday morning, at this liturgy, here and now, Someone is asking the only question that matters in your life and mine. He is asking, “Do you love me?” It’s the gift of the second chance. Never mind the past. “Today, do you love me?” This is why this gospel was saved by the faith community. It was saved for people like ourselves who also needed to know the Stranger is on the shore of our lives as we toil with empty nets and that, above all, the Stranger comes with a question and a challenge.
“Do you love me?” If you do, go forth from this church and love others. Start with your family first. Give someone a second chance. Is there someone you know who needs to be reminded that our God does not say – Why did you? How could you? Our God says here – start over. Try again. Try again.
Archive for the ‘3rd Sunday’ Category
The Question 4-18-2010
Sunday, April 18th, 2010The Woman At The Well 3-7-2010
Sunday, March 7th, 2010From Give Me Jesus, p. 53, by David Haas. Copyright 2009, GIA Publications, Inc.
“All who drink the water I give will never thirst, the water I give will be a fountain within you, giving life!”
These words are from the story of the Samaritan woman who goes to the well to draw water. She ends up receiving something completely unexpected. Jesus exposes every single demon and flaw in her life, and she goes against type—she feels anything but shame. She experiences liberation and freedom. She announces to everyone the amazing and paradoxical experience of being found out, and praises God!
Far too often we drown in the waters of guilt, embarrassment, secrecy, and shame. Deep down, we all long for a fountain that will wash away our shame and send us on a current of healing and hope. In spite of any attempt on our part to hide, Jesus finds us. He sees us completely and remains totally in love with us. If that were not more than enough, this amazing love increases beyond anything imaginable.
This is exactly what makes Jesus different. He does not operate according to our rules or patterns. His love is deeper and flowers beyond any love we can ever hope to experience. The love of Christ is a fountain that never goes dry: it is eternal, without conditions, always faithful. No strings attached.
We are being called to join Jesus at the well and receive a shower of grace that will never go dry. We are invited to drink of this water and share its abundance with each other.
On this Third Sunday of Lent, we join with our RCIA candidates and elect in taking a closer look at ourselves.
• What personal or national shame do we hold that cries out for cleansing?
• How can we be part of the fountain of life that Jesus offers to others?
• Where do we find fountains of life that nurture us spiritually?
Let us pray:
Christ Jesus,
we thirst for so many things:
love, community,
security, self-worth,
wholeness, peace,
dignity, friendship,
and so much more.
In you we can find these things.
In you we can be made clean
by the fountain
of your love and compassion.
Come and lead us
to your well of grace and mercy,
so that we may never thirst again.
Amen.
Are We Ready To Let God Empower Us? 1-24-2010
Sunday, January 24th, 2010In a book called, If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries, the reader is invited to see the world through the eyes of a five or six year old little boy.
If I were in charge of the world, he says: “I’d cancel oatmeal! I’d cancel allergy shots! I’d cancel Monday mornings.”
If I were in charge of the world, he says: “There’d be brighter night lights, healthier hamsters and basketball baskets forty-eight inches lower.”
If I were in charge of the world, “you wouldn’t have lonely, you wouldn’t have bedtimes, or ‘Don’t punch your sister!’ You wouldn’t even have sisters.”
If I were in charge of the world, a chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts would be a vegetable, and a person who sometimes forgot to brush, and sometimes forgot to flush would still be in charge of the world!
Question: What would you do if you were in charge of the world? Jesus gives His answer in today’s Gospel lesson. Luke tells us that Jesus, “With the power of the Spirit in Him,” went into the synagogue, as He usually did on the Sabbath Day, and read this passage from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for He has anointed me. He has sent me to bring
Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor!”
What do we proclaim to this world – we who call ourselves Catholic Christians? What do we proclaim with our words – with how we live our everyday lives.
I have people all the time say, what a sorry state our world is in today.
My response:
We can’t put the blame on Christ and Christianity. We have to blame ourselves in part, especially if we are merely card-carrying Christians – that is, Christians who claim to believe in Christ, but are uncommitted to his causes.
G.K. Chesterton was right when he said: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
So it is not enough to be moved emotionally by Christ’s inaugural speech today; we have to do something about it. We have to seek out the oppressed and outcasts and support their quest for justice. We have to reach out to the unwanted and unloved and reaffirm their dignity. We have to listen to the cries of the wounded and poor and lift them up with compassion.
If we don’t believe in Christ’s causes, then we shouldn’t stand up and recite the Creed. But if we do believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, and if we believe in committing ourselves to him, then we should stand up with conviction and courage and proclaim the Creed! Then go live it as best we can.
I close with this image –
A boy and girl returned to the girl’s home after their first date. Standing at the front door, the boy asked, nervously, “May I kiss you?” No reply. Again he asked, “Can I kiss you?” No reply. A third time, “Can I kiss you?” Still no reply. “Are you deaf?” said the boy. “Are you paralyzed? The girl replied.
Are we ready to let God empower us to do what we need to do to be one of God’s servants today or as the young girl asked, are we paralyzed?
