Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

—My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.

I was walking through Wal-Mart the other day… Yes, I know, but at least it was the upscale Wal-Mart over on Route 9 in Halfmoon.

Anyway, I was walking around looking for a household item and I passed through their excuse for a jewelry department. There, right in front of me, was Jesus.

It was a statue of Jesus washing Peter’s feet, probably leftover from the Easter rush. Got to get to Wal-Mart honey and get a statue of Jesus washing Peter’s feet. Grandma will love it.

What stood out for me, however, was the statue’s box. In great big bold green letters it said: —Ceramic Jesus.— In much smaller letters it said, —…washing Peter’s feet.—

Ah yes, ceramic Jesus. The Jesus we all know and love. The clean Jesus, the Jesus that doesn’t talk back, the Jesus that looks like us, the Jesus that fits in with the décor.

Not exactly the Jesus of Good Shepherd Sunday.

Paul and Barnabas had a different Jesus. They were close to Jesus, proximate to Him, and they had met Him. They knew the Jesus that gave them the power and authority to bring the Jews to the fullness of faith, to convert the gentiles, and to rejoice in suffering.

This is the Jesus that prompted jealousy:

When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.

The Jesus that made men bold:

Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly

The Jesus that brings joy to the lost:

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.

The Jesus who came to die, and in rising brought eternal life:

All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.

This is the Jesus, the true Word of God, whose rejection equates to evil in the hearts of those who hate Him, both then and now:

The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.

Indeed, we, as Christians, know no ceramic Jesus, and if any such ideas creep into our heads we need to reject them.

We need to connect to the very same Jesus who worked through Paul and Barnabas. The Jesus the enables us to speak boldly of our faith, and to suffer if need be. The Jesus Who is the reality of our Easter joy.

We rejoice because the Lamb Who was slain is risen.

We rejoice, not because of our earthly possessions or our good fortune, or our excellent Easter kielbasa. We rejoice because the Lamb, who is the Good Shepherd, is seated on the throne of glory.

We rejoice because we too will stand before Him.

When the sufferings come, and they will; when the persecutions come, and they will; when we are slandered, hated, despised, called names, and called evil all because of His name, because of His teachings, because of our membership in His Church, then the elders will say of us:

“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.”

…and Jesus, the Good Shepherd will care for us:

“The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
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.”

My friends,

This day it is fitting to remember and recall Jesus’ words. Words spoken to every generation, including ours:

“My sheep hear my voice”

Amen Lord, we hear you.

“I know them, and they follow me.”

Lord Jesus, we acknowledge You, proclaim You, and follow You.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.”

Amen, amen.

Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

—We gave you strict orders, did we not,
to stop teaching in that name?
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.—

Everybody is worried about Jesus.

The Sanhedrin, which had persecuted Jesus and had sought His death were concerned. They were obviously not believers. They figured that Jesus was just another dead crazy man or con artist, another of a group of Messiahs that showed up at the gates of Jerusalem on a regular basis.

They thought they were rid of Him, but here are these crazy Galilean fishermen, with their crude ways, and funny accents, talking Him up. And people believe them!

It’s enough to make the most diehard politician crazy.

I was on a train, returning from New York City this past Tuesday. The people behind me were having one of those conversations.

Why do people talk about Jesus so much? You know, as long as you’re good and fair, and live as you see fit, everything is ok. Why do I have to hear about Jesus?

The Sanhedrin lives in all those who find their shared mission in telling people to shut up about Jesus already.

But Peter and the apostles said in reply,
—We must obey God rather than men.”

And that’s the point, but not like you might think.

The —Christians— of this country and many parts of the world, and I put the word —Christian— in quotation marks, have done more than enough to sully the name of Jesus.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. You know them. They are the folks who espouse the Republican, Democrat, or Green Party Jesus, the gun loving Jesus, the warmonger Jesus, the gay Jesus, the non-drinking Jesus, or the wine loving Jesus. They are the folks who tell the world about the Jesus made in their image, the Jesus who loves them because of their sinfulness.

—We must obey God rather than men.”

Yesterday we happened to commemorate St. Anselm of Canterbury, a great saint and the father of scholasticism.

For those unfamiliar, scholasticism literally means “that [which] belongs to the school.” It is a method of learning taught by academics in medieval universities between 1100 and 1500. It is not a philosophy or theology in itself, but a tool and method for learning that puts emphasis on dialectical reasoning, i.e., point, counter-point arguments used to reason out an answer to a question.

One of Anselm’s famous quotes was:

—I hold it to be a failure in duty if after we have become steadfast in our faith we do not strive to understand what we believe.—

The Apostles had that down. Their knowledge came from Jesus Christ who was their teacher. Their strength and courage came from the Holy Spirit. All their gifts came from God. They understood Who they believed in.

What the Apostles had, and what St. Anselm understood was that our argument for Christ is rooted in faith. Our faith is strengthened by our leaning about Christ. Our honesty comes from proclaiming Christ not as we see Him, but as He is.

Listen to Peter’s testimony before the Court:

—We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.—

God raised Jesus from the dead though He had died by crucifixion. Jesus sits in the place reserved for the Son, the right hand of God. He is exalted. Salvation is through Him. He grants all of us repentance and forgiveness of sins. We saw it. The Holy Spirit saw it, and His gifts are given to all who obey God.

Pretty simple in content, deep in message, no fluff.

Today is about witnesses and a message. It is the clear, concise, boiled down message of Jesus Christ.

Brothers and Sisters,

Begin in faith, study what He teaches. Take the example of the Apostles, certainly not poets. These simple words are the food that is ever before us. Simple words that are an unending fountain of riches. We will never get enough.

Repent of your sins and you have forgiveness. Acknowledge Me as what I am. Obey Me and you obey the Father. You have the gift of the Holy Spirit to carry out your work.

There is no Jesus of mixed messages and muddled metaphors. He has one simple question:

Do you love me?

Please stand and join me in saying the words that fill our hearts right now:

—Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.—

None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.

Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

You would think that a clergyman preparing a homily for this Sunday would have an easy job. We all connect with Thomas. Doubt —“ a very real thing for all of humanity.

We doubt our lovers, friends, clergy, and fellow parishioners. We doubt the weatherman, the government, God’s existence, heaven.

Thank God for Thomas —“ he makes sermonizing easy.

So why lead off with fear?

Listen again:

None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.

The Apostles were standing at Solomon’s portico.

Now close your eyes and picture the Temple. Solomon’s portico was a covered colonnade at the Eastern part of the temple in Jerusalem. It was an open place, a sort of porch, like you would see on an old Victorian Mansion.

The people, both Jews and gentiles, gathered together on this covered porch to experience spiritual conversation.

There they are, the Apostles, the original eleven and Matthias who was elected to replace Judas. There they were, among the people, right under the noses of the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, the Council, and the Chief Priest.

There they were, talking about Jesus, healing in His name.

None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.

Now Solomon was King David’s son, the second king of Israel, the builder of the original temple. He was the man after whom the portico was named, and in essence his name means “Peace”.

As such the portico was really named the Peace portico. It was a place for people to come and experience God’s peace.

Standing in the Peace portico:

None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.

How remarkable and how strange; in a place of peace, speaking the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and people were gripped with fear.

That, my friends, was Thomas’ problem. Fear!

My brothers and sisters,

Whenever we hear of remarkable and heroic deeds we are both amazed and gripped with fear.

Would I have the courage to do that, to give up a kidney, to jump on a live grenade, to rush into a burning building, to stand up to anyone who would speak ill or disrespectfully of another?

Would I be able to stand up to the ridicule of declaring absolute faith in Jesus Christ and my membership in His Church?

Anyway, thank God that person had the courage…

None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.

The heroes, the courageous, the martyrs, the peacemakers, the confessors —“ had what it took to be more than admirers, people holding others in esteem. By the grace of God they dared to follow the Apostles example. They joined them.

Brethren,

People are searching for meaning. Perhaps they visited our church once or twice. Perhaps they were faithful members somewhere and something happened which caused them to leave that church.

All of us, and these seekers, really want the food that will not leave us hungry and the drink that will not leave us thirsty. We all seek that which will satisfy, but do not know where to look anymore.

Let’s admit it – the church can be the most political institution in the world! We don’t like to admit it, but it is true. None of us are hungry for more politics. No one is looking for more expertise. We are not seeking something to do with our spare time. Most of us have none!

What all are doing is seeking the face of God. Jesus, Who is the Bread of Life and the Cup of Eternal Salvation.

Let us have the courage to welcome all. Let us have the courage to set our fears aside and to cry out together, along with Thomas: —My Lord and my God!— Lord, grant us the courage to stand on the Peace portico with Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James, Matthew, Simon, Jude, and Matthias.

Do not be afraid. Jesus is here and He is ready to do for you what He did for John:

He touched me with his right hand and said, —Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last, the one who lives.
Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever.

Amen. Alleluia.

Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

Welcome this Easter morning. Welcome to this parish church. Welcome to the joy of the Resurrected Christ.

What I’ve always loved about Easter is the actuality of it all.

Today, and for the next fifty days, we will read the Gospel stories of the resurrected Christ, His disciples, and the women who accompanied them. We will travel with them in the light of hope, the hope of everlasting life.

In the readings we will hear of the joy and unity of the early Church. We will hear of a band of believers who are of one accord, even in the face of persecution and difficult questions.

Who among us cannot connect with the followers of Jesus?

Who among us cannot connect with Mary of Magdala, finding the empty tomb, shocked and dismayed, running off to tell Peter and the other disciples. Later, finding a gardener, and then having her eyes opened, realizing it is Jesus.

Who among us cannot connect with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Finally realizing that their hearts were on fire with God’s love because it was Jesus they were conversing with. They knew Him in the breaking of the bread.

Who among us cannot connect with Thomas, doubting Jesus had appeared, looking for proof, and finding it in the marks of the crucifixion.

And there’s Peter, who along with the other disciples enjoys a picnic with Jesus along the seashore. Peter will hear Jesus ask him, —Do you love me Peter?— Peter gets his opportunity to undo his denial, and shows his love.

In the Acts we hear Peter preaching to the street.

—You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.”

We will hear of the Church’s growth, 5,000 were added that day. We will hear of imprisonments, healings, and narrow escapes. Deacons will be created, and the people will be of one accord, turning over all they have for the mission of the Church. The poor will be fed, widows and orphans will be cared for, and the liars and unbelievers will fall victim to their lack of faith. Judas will be replaced in prayer and the drawing of lots.

We connect to all this. We feel as if we were there. It is all so real.

Brothers and sisters,

It is.

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

Iście z Bogiem
Zostańcie z Bogiem

It’s an old informal Polish saying.

When people part from each other the person staying says —Iście z Bogiem— —“ literally —Go with God.— The person leaving replies in return —Zostańcie z Bogiem— —“ literally —Remain with God—

Some of you know that I’ve only been with our parish for a few years. I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know Chet as much as I would have liked.

Because of my lack of more intimate familiarity I will take this time to focus, not so much on my own thoughts, but on the thoughts of our little faith community, a community that did know Chet very well.

Who was Chet? People saw him as hard working, determined, a father and husband, a man of faith, a good and dedicated friend, a member of their group who shared a common purpose with them.

The Church is a funny institution. People see it in many different ways. The PNCC in particular has many unique attributes, key among them, its nature as a community of members democratically united in following Jesus Christ.

Chet was blessed with success in life. With that success he could have joined a lot of clubs and organizations. Look around the Capital Region. The Polish Club (there’s probably at least 5 of them), the Italian Club, any Rod and Gun Club, Country Clubs galore. He could have spent his time, hard work, and charity on numerous causes. But as I noted, Chet was determined, strong willed even.

Chet understood that Church is more than a social club. He understood that church is more than charity. He understood that church is about people united with one purpose —“ the praise and worship of God. Everything he did for and in the church was about that. Chet did what Jesus asked of him. He committed his whole self to building up the Kingdom of God in a community united in that mission.

Now Chet is taking his leave of us. We say, Czeslaw, iście z Bogiem; Chet, go with God. In reply he is saying to all of us zostańcie z Bogiem; remain with God. Jesus is certainly saying,

Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.

They proclaimed:
—Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest.—

If you look at certain depictions of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem you will notice that he’s traveling downhill, into the city, seated on an ass. People are throwing their cloaks and palm branches before him.

Behind Jesus come the Apostles and disciples, the women, the followers. Before Him are the crowds of Jerusalem, waiting to greet the latest and the greatest. Among them are the skeptics.

Jesus is rushing, downhill, headlong to His death. It is a crazy and tumultuous time.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
—Teacher, rebuke your disciples.—
He said in reply,
—I tell you, if they keep silent,
the stones will cry out!—

I wonder, in the midst of this tumult, in the excited crowd, if anyone truly meant what they said. Again:

—Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest.—

Did anyone mean that? Did anyone truly desire that? Did the citizens, the Apostles, the disciples, the women?

What if they said what they meant: —Death to the Romans, power and glory to us.—

Well, I imagine, the crowd would have been put to death in short order, Jesus among them. The Romans would have come out of garrison and would have put an end to their desires.

Isn’t that what plagues us today? So many cry out Jesus, Jesus, here comes the King. But what are they saying? Hail my political power? Hail my money making ability? Hail what I’ve created? Glory and honor to me?

I would like for us to reflect upon the stones who, in the absence of the peoples’ shouts, would cry out.

I think that if we reflect a little we will understand that the stones would be honest. They would hail Jesus Christ for who He is. They would have no expectations, no desires, no needs, other than to hail Him as their King, the center of all that was, is, or will ever be.

That, my brothers and sisters, is a very difficult thing for us to do. It requires that we fashion ourselves into the likeness of Jesus.

He emptied Himself,
taking the form of a slave

He humbled Himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death

To approach Jesus in truth we need to be empty and humble. If we approach Jesus as an empty vessel He will certainly fill us. He can and will put more into us than we can possibly hope for.

Whether we are filled with terrible pride, greed, or lust, whether we are pushed down by poverty, sickness, or loneliness, He can and will fill us; if we can, but for a moment, set aside our agendas, needs, desires, and demands.

If we come to Him, empty like the stones surrounding Jerusalem, we will be filled.

Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem was downhill and headlong. It couldn’t be any other way. He was one with His Father’s will.

Our journey to the new and everlasting Jerusalem is uphill, rocky, and difficult. The road is narrow and filled with pitfalls. We mask our desires and hide them beneath a cloak of praise for a king. To make it we need to continually ask ourselves, is Jesus, as He is, the King?

When we meet Him in humility, when we come empty, when we acknowledge Him as He is, then we will know that we have met our true King, our only desire. When we meet Him we will know. For His love will fill us without measure. As it did on Good Friday.

For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish

Taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 8

I have nothing, yet I have hope.

That is an important message for the days ahead. We enter into the Passiontide today. We plainly see the church outfitted in mournful, sorrowful array. Yet we have hope.

It is not that I have already taken hold of it
or have already attained perfect maturity,
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it

The thread that runs through today’s reading and gospel is one of hope. Hope that God is acting in our lives. Hope that we may be one in Him, possessing all things in Him.

In our first reading God asks us :

Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!

If we live in the past we have no hope for God’s continuing action in our life. This reminds us that Jesus is far more than just a moment in time. He is here and now. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the entirely of the past and the fullness of the future.

God is always active and alive, doing something new in our lives. That new thing is the transformation that occurs in us. We are changed by the hope that we have. We are Christians and that makes us people of hope.

If we lived in the past and mourned our present, there would be no reason to go on. But we have Jesus Christ ever with us; God making everything new. Recall these words from the Book of Revelation:

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God). He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.” The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

God is not distant or far off. He is right here, right here inside each and every one of us.

Have any of you seen the billboards around the area. They picture Jesus and in English and Hebrew say— —If you call Him He will come. — We should remember that when we’re found lacking in hope.

When we miss the fact that God is with us. All we need do is call Him. He is active and engaged, past, present, and future.

Paul reminds us that there is nothing we can offer, nothing we can do by our own merit, to attain Jesus Christ.

It is only by Christ that we have hope. We are, each one of us, helpless children. All we can do is call out, in faith, Jesus come to me.

Brothers and sisters,

Do you think that the woman caught in adultery had any hope?

She caught a break for a few minutes, and I’m sure she was aware of it. They didn’t stone her on the spot, which should have happened. She caught a break so she could be used as bait in the Pharisees trap.

I’m also sure that she was aware of the fact that they weren’t going to let her go once they were done. Having been used, perhaps all her life, she would be used one more time, then be permanently disposed of.

Her hope was running out, the break was almost over, there she was before Jesus and the stones were ready to fly.

Everyone always wonders what Jesus wrote on the ground. Frankly, He may just as well have drawn a picture of a cow. He was ignoring the Pharisees.

Brethren,

We all know how sin is. The longer we get to stew in our sin, the longer that sin gets to eat at us.

Jesus let the Pharisees and the woman stew —“ and in the end He gave them the opportunity to repent. Only the woman stayed and He gave her hope, forgiveness of sin, and new life. She was ready, the Pharisees walked away, aware of their sinfulness. That’s the shocking part of the whole exchange. They were aware of their sin yet held no hope for forgiveness. In sin they walked away from God.

It’s time. It is time to stop stewing in our sin like the Pharisees; time to stand before Jesus, like the woman, like a small child, filled with faith and hope. It is time to stand before the Lord with trust in Him. If we do that He will make us new. He will not condemn us; He will not cast us out.

That is the gospel, the message of hope. I know I have nothing, yet I hope for everything, that is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

The following is a reflection I will be offering for the World Day of Prayer which we are hosting in our parish on Friday, March 23rd at 7pm.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.

Taken from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 15

Today we gather around Jesus Christ, and we come to Him in the form of the ñandutí­, (niun-doo-tee) offered to us by the women of Paraguay.

If you look at the cover of your booklets you will see the ñandutí­, an intricate lace weave, with a proper center surrounded by symmetrical, yet differing, patterns.

I could spend a good few minutes up here pointing out the obvious. Jesus is the center of our lives. We are all different, unique. We are to be like Jesus, different in our gifts, yet symmetrical with him.

I might also focus on the long history of the people of Paraguay; the history of the Guarani, the land’s original inhabitants, whose native language is one of the few to be officially recognized, and widely used in South America. I could talk about historical suffering, the role of women in a society that lost seventy-five percent of its men to wars and brutal dictators. I could focus on poverty, and our lack of a giving response, at the political and personal level.

Rather, I will focus on minutia.

You’re probably thinking, oh no, as a Catholic, minutia is something he’s well versed in.

Charles Dickens is reported to have said:

My view was that the minutiae of faith was unimportant, if the heart be in the right place. Love, charity and duty are the core of my religious life.

But today we have the ñandutí­ and the ñandutí­ is about minutia.

In our first reading we heard of Abraham and Sarah preparing a good many things for the Lord. Water to wash their guest’s feet, cakes to eat, meat from a slaughtered calf, curds and milk, and the whole aspect of presenting their hospitality before the Lord.

That, my friends, is minutia. That’s not something that’s easy to throw together. Oh honey, prepare a five course meal and make the guests comfortable. It may have taken the whole day.

We see a brief snapshot of what happened from a mile high. Consider what it took to bring it all together.

So it is with the ñandutí­. You have to prepare a place to house it, a frame and an underlayment to hold it, the thread, the tools, and the time.

Sewing the ñandutí­ together is a process. Weaving the ñandutí­ is all about minutia.

So it is in our lives. It’s the minutia of how we respond when our spouse comes home in a foul mood. It’s the way we respond when we are partnered with someone who is as affectionate as a rock. It’s how we respond to the toilet cleaning, clothes washing, vacuuming, grass cutting, snow blowing chores. It’s how we respond when we come to church and one half of the church has daggers out for the other half, and all have daggers out for the pastor. It’s how we respond on Easter morning when the kids want gifts, we want to get to church, and we have to go visit uncle Bob who will regale us with stories of his first ever plane flight during World War 2.

Each and every moment is filled with minutia. We cannot escape it, medicate it, or drown it. While we’re waiting for the next big splash, the next excitement, we must use the minutia to do as St. Paul teaches: —grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.—

In a few moments the trustees will come around and pass the basket. More minutia. We’ll pull out our wallets and look at what we might find there.

I have some receipts, I forgot to turn in the bottle return vouchers at Price Chopper, credit cards, medical cards, license, registration, Polish club membership, oh, and $30. 30 iTunes downloads, a bunch of java at Starbucks, five Lenten fish fries. How will I respond with this minutia. How will I take the minutia of my wants, desires, hopes, dreams, and fantasies and transform them into action in accord with Christ.

Dickens was wrong. The minutiae of faith is important. In it we meet Christ crucified and risen. We meet Him and are changed at the core level. What is separate is sewn together, what is discordant is made symmetrical. What is broken is made whole. What is small in our lives, the individual threads, are woven into the beautiful and perfect.

Come Lord Jesus, bind us together. Bind us under the mantle of your love.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Today we run back to the Father. The Holy Church, through the ministry entrusted to it, and its sacramental action reconciles us to the Father and each other.

It’s interesting to reflect on those words from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 19. Paul is telling us that God’s action was continuous. Not something done in a moment, but on-going. God was reconciling us, He was not counting trespasses, and this action is accomplished through His Son and continues through us, His Church.

In our extended sacrament of penance we come back, and like the son say:

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

We often expect the worst. In today’s lingo the son would probably say that his father was going to put some smack-down on him. Even so, the son was willing to accept that. Hey, could it be worse than where he was?

I’ve often wondered what the father was like, I mean before the reconciliation. Was the father tough? Was the father demanding? Was he cruel? Did the reconciliation and the look on his son’s face bring out his mercy?

Frankly, I think the father was none of that. The father did not question the son’s intent when he came with his demands —“

‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’

The father certainly had his expectations, but in all things the father was consistent. He did not count trespasses and he was reconciling. Jesus gives us that father based on the Father He knew – God. And, as Paul pointed out, God the Father’s action is continuous and consistent. He is merciful and forgiving.

So the prodigal son hears, and so we hear the same words God the Father declared to Israel:

—Today I have removed the reproach … from you.—

Brethren,

In penance we grab onto the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ, forgiveness and eternal life. We need that now as we enter the dark days ahead.

Like that last kiss and hug, exchanged between loved ones leaving in the morning, the kiss and hug that give hope and joy no matter what comes that day, we need God’s forgiveness to pull us out of our troubles and frustration, to give us hope and joy. We need God’s forgiveness even more as we contemplate the coming passion of our Lord Jesus.

The forgiveness we receive from the Father, and the peace we share with one another, prepares us for the dark days ahead.

Next week we enter the Passiontide. The two weeks before Easter. Next week the visuals of the Holy Church will be covered in purple. There will be nothing to draw our eye, other than the mystery of Christ and His love for us. It will be for all intents and purposes you, me, and Christ crucified, alone together.

So as we go forth, accept the embrace of the Father. Listen to Him as He talks about you. He’s telling the rest of us:

‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’

That, my friends, is our hope.

That is the Father who does not count trespasses and continuously reconciles us in His Son.