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Christian Witness

Reflection for Trinity Sunday 2025

Christian Witness

Reflection for Trinity Sunday 2025

Christian Witness

Reflection for Trinity Sunday 2025

Homilies

Maundy Thursday

Experience.

This Maundy Thursday is about experience. These next three days are about experience.

I’ve always loved Maundy Thursday. I love it principally in the way it moves my heart. In the story it tells. A story based in sensory experience.

We stand here wearing white and gold. These liturgical colors denote celebration. The Holy Mass begins and we are confronted by the first profound experience, the playing of the Gloria and the ringing of bells. We can imagine what heaven must be like. Heaven, where the elders and the Apostles who surround the throne of God, praise Him eternally and call out, —Glory to God in the highest.— Revelation tells us:

Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
—You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Next, in the very conduct of the Holy Mass we recall the sacraments Jesus Christ instituted for our salvation.

We receive penance and absolution during the penitential rite, when Father Andrew, in accordance with the instructions of Christ, washes us clean.

We hear the Word of God proclaimed and listen as it is explained.

Father Andrew, acting as the hands of Christ, and repeating the words of Christ, confects the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.

These sacraments, instituted by Jesus Christ, to give us the graces we need to become more like Him, are experiential. They are the healing touch of Christ in absolution, the hearing of Jesus’ teaching and instruction in the Word, the eating of the flesh of Jesus, and the drinking of His blood in Holy Communion.

God is giving us His grace in a way we can understand, feel, and appreciate.

Not only that, we celebrate this night with Father Andrew and with all who have been called to the Holy Priesthood. Tonight is every priest’s anniversary. Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Priesthood so that we, His followers, may continue to receive His body and blood, so that we may be healed, hear His word, and so that we might be brought into the Church.

What tremendous gifts our Lord has given us. How well he understood our need to be touched and to have our hearts, minds, and bodies filled with His love. How well He understood our condition. He understood, because He lived it.

More experiences await us. After we have received the sacraments He instituted we will prepare to process to the Altar of Repose. Jesus is leaving this magnificent Altar. We walk with Him, down the path to His prison. We walk with Him to the mournful beat of the klekotki, walk with Him after Judas’ kiss, through the garden, down the city streets to the Chief Priests and the Sanhedrin. We walk with Him, past all of you, as He is accused, mocked, slapped in the face, spat upon, and finally as He arrives at the Altar of Repose.

He will be thrown into prison tonight. Not the modern prisons of your imagination, but the dark, cold, damp, rodent infested prison He was thrown into. No food, no water, only pain and the cold loneliness of this night. When father throws the key of the tabernacle, the prison bars are shut. Jesus suffering for you and me.

The beautiful Altar of Repose, donned in white, is our meager way to show Jesus that we know He is God, that we love Him and want to make things beautiful for Him.

Those of you who do not want to let Him sit alone tonight will stay. You will keep watch. You will pray.

Keep watch with our Lord tonight. Let your tears of sadness flow as we walk with Him, down, down, down, into the experience of the next three days. Walk from this Altar to the prison, from the prison to the pillar, from the pillar to the cross, from the cross to the tomb.

After the Body of Christ is placed in the Altar of Repose the experience will continue. Father and I will return to the main Altar. The Altar will be stripped, the tabernacle left open and empty.

From these experiences, from the great pealing of the bells to the stripping of the Altar, from tremendous highs to terrible lows, we walk with Jesus.

What do we take with us? How are these moments and experiences captured in our minds and hearts? How do we put our joys and our tears to good use?

Experience!

We listen to Jesus’ command:

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.

Therefore, we pledge anew to tie our lives to Christ Jesus. We pledge anew to be His servants. We know that the road He calls us to is not an easy road, especially in light of the way the world is going. But remember, Judas went the way of the world and our Lord said that it would have been better if he had never been born.

We must commit to tie our experiences, both the good and bad to the life of Jesus. He must be the center of our lives. He must be the one we go to in celebration and in sadness. He is our life, our being, and our all. He is the center of the Church, our parish, our families, our relationships, and our business dealings. We acknowledge Him as the way, the truth, and the life. We must recommit to this.

Experience —“ is life lived in unity with Jesus Christ. Without Christ there is no resurrection, no new life. Walk with Him tonight and always.

Saints and Martyrs

April 11 – St. Leo the Great (Sw. Leon)

O Boże, bądź moim przewodnikiem i wsparciem, jako byłeś nim dla św. Leon W. biskupa. Niechaj myśl nasza nie zboczy od myśli Twojej, abyśmy z drogi prawdy nigdy nie zeszli. Daj nam sił takich, jakich potrzebujemy do spełnienia należytego naszych obo wiązków, abyśmy za dobre czyny dostąpili kiedyś nadgrody wiecznej. Amen.

Saints and Martyrs, ,

Saints Meme

We all (that is Orthodox, Catholics, and Anglicans) have one patron (or matron) saint that we either chose at our conversion or were given in infancy at baptism. This saint is, of course, of supreme importance to us throughout our life and beyond. Nevertheless, many other saints come to hold special places in our hearts for various reasons. We are then able to assemble, as it were, our own persoanl synaxis (gathering together) of saints. What are yours, and why? You may include your patron/matron as #1.

From Kyrie Elieson via Huw Raphael and the Young Fogey.

St. Anthony of Padua —“ my particular patron. Doctor of the Church (Doctor of the Gospel). He wanted to engage in extreme Christianity, and desired martyrdom. He planned on preaching the Faith to the Saracens and suffering for Christ’s sake. God had different plans and directed him otherwise. He became a great preacher, but never boasted of his studies or knowledge. He loved the Word of God. St. Anthony fought against heresy with zeal. He brought about repentance and conversion among his listeners. He moved people to make peace, come to penance, and be reconciled with each other. He was known as the Hammer of the Heretics. He spoke openly to all, to the rich as to the poor, to the people as well as those in authority. St. Anthony’s example in his willingness to suffer, his willingness to give up his desires and be used by the Lord as He wills, and in his strong preaching is the model for my life as a deacon.

O God, who by thy Holy Spirit didst give to thy servant Anthony a love of the Holy Scriptures, and the gift of expounding them with learning and eloquence, that thereby thy people might be established in sound doctrine and encouraged in the way of righteousness, grant to us always an abundance of such preachers, to the glory of thy Name and the benefit of thy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

St. Stephen, Protomartyr —“ deacon, example of forgiveness and the proclamation of Jesus Christ in the face of human power, first martyr.

O Saint Stephen, first of the martyrs, who wast filled with fortitude, grace, and love, whose guiltless face shone like the face of a pure angel, I beseech thee, by the grace which rendered them worthy to see heaven opened and Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, that thou wouldst, by thy prayers, procure for me from God a pure conscience, and a holy, meek love, that like thee I may readily forgive those who injure me; may pray for them; may not only desire for them whatever is good, but may do them good indeed, and thereby merit the grace of a happy death. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

St. Ephraim the Syrian —“ deacon, fought against heresy. He wrote homilies and hymns. He lived a life of humility and penitence. A Doctor of the Church and the Harp of Faith.

O Lord and Master of my life
take from me the spirit of sloth
faint-heartedness,
lust of power
and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,
humility,
patience,
and love to thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King
grant me to see my own errors
and not to judge my brother;
for Thou art blessed unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

St. Casimir —“ Prince of Poland-Lithuania. He lived a life of mortification, celibacy, and prayer. He had a strong personal devotion to the BVM. He stood up to his own father, the King, in opposing the forceful takeover of Hungary.

O God, the giver of all heavenly grace, in the angelic young adult, Casimir, you did unite wondrous innocence, great prudence, diligent fidelity to duty, and generous charity with strict penance. By his merits and prayers grant unto us who have not followed him in his avoidance of sin, the grace to imitate him in his voluntary penance for sin. Amen.

St. Lawrence of Rome —“ archdeacon, martyr. He cared for the poor and sick of the Church at Rome. He kept the treasury of the Church at Rome. He stood up to Caesar in the face of the martyrdom of his bishop and six other deacons. He was told to deliver the treasures of the Church entrusted to his care to Caesar. He brought the poor, the crippled, the blind, the sick before Caesar stating that these were the true treasures of the Church.

Almighty God, who didst call thy deacon Laurence to serve thee with deeds of love, and didst give him the crown of martyrdom: Grant, we beseech thee, that we, following his example, may fulfil thy commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving thee with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Other saints who have had a profound role in my life: St. Joseph, St. Rita, the Holy Innocents, St. Michael the Archangel, St. James, St. Louis, Sts. Peter and Paul.

Anyone who wishes, please feel free to meme on.

Homilies

Palm Sunday

Do you take account of the miracles in your life?

Think of the Apostles’ journey with Jesus thus far. They’ve seen miracles, heard him teach, had His teachings personally explained to them, saw the Transfiguration, and heard the voice of the Father call down from heaven. They saw Jesus raise people from the dead, most recently Lazarus.

I don’t know if the Apostles took account of all the miracles. Today, Jesus told them:

—Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately on entering it,
you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone should say to you,
‘Why are you doing this?’ reply,
‘The Master has need of it
and will send it back here at once.’—

They went and found things to be exactly as He had said they would be. Exactly!

Were they amazed? Did they notice? Was this miracle too small in relation to the bigger ones, like feeding 5,000 men with five loaves and two fish?

Jesus’ ministry, and most especially His raising of Lazarus, was the big lead in for this moment. Jesus was to be welcomed into Jerusalem as the Messiah. Can you imagine the Apostles’ euphoria? Everything as He said it would be, the people turning out, acclaiming Him:

—Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!—

In a few days time one would deny Him. The others would run away in fear, locking themselves in the upper room. The people would be in the streets shouting: —Crucify Him, crucify Him!—

Reality, or at least the Apostles’ perception of reality, set in. They forgot what He said about being handed over and rising again. They forgot the part about doing the Father’s will. They forgot the miracles. They lived in fear and doubt.

So I ask, —Do you take account of the miracles in your life?—

Do you remember those times that Jesus quietly touched you? Do you remember when it was He alone who held you up? Do you remember times of terrible sadness when He gave you the strength to carry on? Do you remember when He was there rejoicing with you at births, weddings, and other celebrations? Did you even realize that He was there?

Some people get caught up in waiting for the big signs, the sun spinning in the sky, the Blessed Virgin appearing in a grotto, and other such things. They wait and miss the obvious. Jesus is right next to them.

The biggest event, the most important event in human history has already happened. We are called to recognize it and to act with faith. We are called to recognize the most important miracle in our lives —“ Christ’s presence, and to proclaim the biggest miracle of all, Jesus Christ, Who suffered, died, was buried, and Who rose from the dead.

Every day we hear the world tell us that Jesus is not a reality; that the bible is fake, and that faith is silly.

When you are confronted with these accusations just remember the answer you give when you come up here and Father or I say —The body and blood of Christ—. You say “Amen”, you are using an ancient Hebrew word meaning: “So be it; truly”

Amen, amen I say to you. Remember your faith. Remember, recognize, and take account of the miracle of Christ in your life. Remember that Jesus is ever present to you in this tabernacle. Remember that the words you say in the creed, and when you proclaim Amen, are words of faith and truth. Remember that the Apostles’ were not confirmed in their faith until Pentecost. You have been confirmed in your faith already. Now stand and profess what you believe.

Media

Be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves

With the recent media hubbub surrounding Christian beliefs, I thought it would be a good idea to reflect on the words of Matthew 10:16:

I am sending you out as sheep among wolves; be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. But beware of men…

The three most recent stories are:

Prayer doesn’t help (see my previous post: The Statistical Validity of Prayer)

Look, Jesus walked on ice, not water (see: Scientists offer cold-snap theory for walking on water)

The —Gospel of Judas— (see: Acadia prof in on open secret. Gospel of Judas has axe to grind and it grinds it, says Evans)

As people of faith we will be constantly challenged by naysayers and unbelievers. So we must be wise.

Wisdom does not come from offering ‘scientific’ or even factual refutation of the claims made by unbelievers. They won’t believe us anyway. We must have the wisdom that is the gift of God, wisdom to see with the eyes of faith. We must also have the weakness to acknowledge that:

If the world hate you, know ye, that it hath hated me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

If unbelievers wish, they could just call us stupid (see George Carlin’s jokes about God). But calling us stupid would make them seem rude. They need to point the finger and ‘prove’ that faith is silly.

By doing so they prove to themselves that their unbelief is well founded, they turn those whose roots are planted in rocky soil to their unbelief, and they damage the young who are being introduced to the faith thus supporting their unbelief.

We live among the wolves of the world as sheep. We are commanded to be harmless because the world can only scoff at the harmless. At the same time we must be wise and abide in the Lord’s presence as His witnesses. We must be wise enough to teach the neo-catechumens that what the world offers is not the truth; that the truth lives in the Church. That Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

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