Easter 2019: Triumph from Defeat

This Holy Week started with the heartbreaking images of the flames consuming the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.  The fire at the 850 year old structure captured the headlines and the attention of the world.  As the world watched in horror, some bemoaned the forever-lost art while others the state of the Church in France symbolized by the apocalyptic sight.  The fire for them is the sad commentary on the condition of the “Oldest Daughter of the Church” who has walked away from its Christian roots as about only 5% of the population is practicing Catholics. 

While the images of the fire horrified the audiences around the world, the images from the day after can help us cope and even be inspired.  For the humanists and art lovers, the images of the saved stone structure of the cathedral, the artifacts rescued from the burning building, and the few rosette stain glass windows which were left intact will sooth to some degree the feelings of loss.  For the believers who feel like the Church is dying, the soothing comes from the image of the intact main altar with its pieta and the cross. Especially, the image of the gleaming cross in the sea of ashes should inspire us all to hope. The cross of the Cathedral of Notre Dame which shines like a beacon of hope is a reminder that God can turn any tragedy into victory.  It points to the reality beyond itself which we celebrate today – the triumph of Christ over sin and death.  Because Christ rose from the dead, the cross is the sign of hope and new life.  What better invitation to hope than the gleaming cross in the midst of the rubble?  What better way to think of Christ’s victory than the cross shining in the night of charred wood and melted metal? What better way to be reminded of the triumph of Christ who hung on the cross?

I hope this image of the cross raised above soot and rubble will inspire us to celebrate Easter with great hope, trust and joy.  I hope we find comfort in the mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the cornerstone of our faith and the proof that all the claims that Jesus made about himself are true. I hope we feel encouraged to practice the teaching of Jesus which the resurrection proved true and trustworthy.  

May the cross from Notre Dame remind us that “Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is truly risen! Alleluia!” And may the presence of the Risen Christ, fill your heart with hope, peace and joy!

Palm Sunday: A Misfit King

The Holy Week begins with the Palm Sunday procession commemorating the triumphant entry of Jesus into the Holy City of Jerusalem.  This liturgical action has ancient roots and symbolizes our present willingness to walk with Jesus.

Some 500 years before the event we reenact today, Zechariah prophesied to the Israelites captive in Babylon about the future messiah: “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” (Zechariah 9:9). The prophet foretold the triumphant entry of the new king into the city. It would be a great day of joy and celebration. The new king would come victorious and take possession of the besieged city.  There is no question that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem must be seen as the fulfillment of that ancient prophecy.  Nevertheless, while the king comes to Jerusalem in triumph, this triumph is unusual. He comes mounted on a donkey, not a powerful stallion. What kind of a triumph is that? This unusual triumph is understood only through the person of Jesus. Jesus is the promised king and messiah, but he is unlike any other king. He is a misfit king. 

Jesus is not the type of king the ancient world, or any other time or culture, is familiar with. He is a misfit king. He comes not to conquer his enemies with military might. He offers them love and forgiveness.  He does not seek to be served but washes the feet of his followers and commands them to do likewise. He does not respond with violence but offers the other cheek. He does not punish offenders but rejoices with their change of heart. He does not sentence others to hell but pardons and promises paradise to those who want it.  His throne is not made of gold but of rough wooden beams. His crown is not bejeweled but made of thorns. His greatest victory was accomplished through suffering and death.

His kingdom too is unlike any other kingdom ever.  It is a misfit kingdom. It is founded on the counterintuitive rule of mutual love and service.  The citizens of Jesus’ kingdom are misfits too as they live by the unpopular rule of the love of God and neighbor.  They are meek and humble in the world run by power and pride. They work for peace and rely on God in the world of aggression and the ever-growing cult of self-centeredness. They hunger and thirst for justice and speak the truth in the world that promotes personal benefit and moral compromises. They give generously to the poor and protect the weak in the world where the dignity of people is measured by their market value. They reject evil in the world that pursuits its empty promises. They glorify God and give light to the world by the way they live in the world that rejects God and celebrates the works of darkness.  They suffer ridicule and rejection in the world of reversed values.  Indeed, they are the true heirs of this misfit king who came to establish his upside-down kingdom.  And yet, it is those who pray for the coming of this kingdom and practice its values that have historically accomplished the most good in the world by being faithful in small and great things. In the end, they will rejoice hearing “come, good and faithful servant, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

As we walk with Jesus this Holy Week, let us honor our king by living like faithful citizens of his kingdom, and thus prepare ourselves to renew our baptismal allegiance on Easter Sunday. 

Fifth Sunday of Lent: I Am Doing Something New!

The readings for this Fifth Sunday of Lent invite us to hope in God for the future by reminding us of the many wonderful things that God has accomplished in the past.  The reading from Isiah (Is. 43:16-21) and the responsorial psalm (Ps 126) recall the two greatest events in the history of the Chosen People: how God freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and how he brought them from their exile in Babylon.  These two pivotal saving events which shaped the identity of Israel are just two examples of God’s loving action towards his people.  We are encouraged to look forward to even greater things God is able to accomplish now and will accomplish in the future.  God speaks through Isaiah saying:  “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”  God always does new things!

Jesus makes this “new thing” a reality in the life of the nameless woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). The woman is in danger of being killed because while being married or promised to a man, she had an intercourse with another.  The lovers got caught in the act so there is no question as to the facts. Neither there is a question as to the prescribed penalty: death (Deuteronomy 22:23-240 by stoning (Ezekiel 23:43-47). 

Nevertheless, the apparent religious zeal of the Pharisees and Scribes is just a cover for their sinister plans. For them, the woman is a collateral damage (What happened to the man?); the real purpose of bringing her to Jesus is to test him.  The same word “test” is used to describe the devil’s temptations in the desert.  In a way, the religious purists utilize not just the woman but the very law they claim to love to gain advantage over Jesus.  They know what the law prescribes, yet they ask his opinion.  If he opines to let her go, they will accuse him of breaking the law. If he tells them to stone her, the common people will turn away from him as no longer being “a friend of sinners.” He might even get in trouble with the Romans as it is their and only their prerogative to impose capital punishment!  Fortunately, the religious leaders’ evil scheme does not work! 

The response Jesus gives stuns them: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Speechless and shamed, they walk away one by one.  What they mean for evil, Jesus turns into good.  He turns to the woman and completes the act of mercy and restoration not by denying her sin but rather by freeing her from it.  He says, “Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” A new life begins.  We do not know what happened after Jesus saved her life and soul.  We hope she took that moment of grace and challenged herself to start fresh.  Based on the other life-changing encounters between Jesus and sinners, we can presume she took that opportunity and allowed God to recreate her, to do something new with her life.

God gives us similar opportunities all the time through Christ.  When we are touched by the living Christ, we have a chance to become a new creation.  We no longer need or even want to dwell on the sinful past or the past spent on insignificant and meaningless pursuits.  We are compelled to start anew and change the direction of our lives. St. Paul describes it this way:  “forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:8-14). In other words, we choose to live a different life and want to make different choices because “the Lord has done great things for us” and “we are filled with joy”   (Ps. 126).