From of old I was poured forth

The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity can be seen as day of riddle solving. Well, perhaps not riddle solving. Maybe it is better said as mystery contemplating.

We are confounded in our efforts to understand God because we want to understand Him on terms that are comfortable for us.

Those among us with a mathematical mind try to comprehend the three in one mystery.

Those with a scientific mind seek to understand God by likenesses in the natural and created universe.

Those with a artistic mind look for keys to the mystery of God in music, stanzas describing the mystery of God in poetry, or brush strokes that unlock what is hidden in the canvas.

Those with a romantic mind, or perhaps heart, try to immerse themselves in the mystery of God, perhaps finding comprehension in their immersion in the idea of love.

None of these techniques is wrong, and none are prohibited or ruled out. God reveals Himself in myriad ways because everything that is good is drawn from God. All that is good lives in unison with God.

Brothers and sisters,

In contemplating the mystery of God we could re-cover St. Augustine’s walk on the beach, but to what end? To know that we will be frustrated in our trying?

I began with a line from the 8th Chapter of the Book of Proverbs. Wisdom, which is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was poured forth from of old.

That my friends is the key.

God has poured Himself into our lives. He has involved Himself with us in deep intimacy, right from the very moment of conception in our mother’s womb. He has created us.

In Psalm 139 we hear:

For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;
my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Because of the incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son, Jesus Christ, we have been born into a saved world.

St. Paul reminds us:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand

His coming as man has given us an introduction to a mystery so deep that Jesus reminded His disciples:

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”

Jesus summed up the path to solving the mystery of God:

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.

The Holy Spirit will reveal all of the mysteries of God to us.

Now you may very well ask yourselves, when is this mysterious event going to occur.

My friends, it has.

In our Baptism and Confirmation the Holy Spirit was poured into us. God is poured forth and is self-revealing. He has provided all we need in order to know, understand, and love Him.

His Holy Church provides the structure and the foundational elements necessary to knowledge of God. Through the work of the Holy Church, most especially in the laying on of hands, the Spirit enters our lives to assist us on the journey that began in the womb, where God first touched us. Through the Holy Eucharist our intimate connection to God is renewed.

God’s self-revelation, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are a tremendous gift. When we are confused or frustrated, when we struggle to make sense of God and of our lives, when we cannot see the forest for the trees, God is here. He says, Here I am, this is what I look like, and I look like this because of love.

Understand that, and the door to God’s mystery opens. Love each other, and this is what you will look like, like the sons and daughters of God.

How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.

I could use this homily to make a strong case for the enduring sacrifice of our brothers and sisters. They most certainly responded when called upon.

Rather than being paid, they paid, paid with their lives. So it is with those who serve our country with honesty and integrity. They aren’t in it based on dollars and cents. Many would take a grease burn at McDonald’s any day, for a little less money, over an IED along a roadside in Iraq.

No, there is something more important to them. It is, I believe, grounding in ideals, ideals based in the gospel reality Isaiah prophesied;

Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.

No, I will not make the case for their sacrifice. It’s already apparent, just look at the headstones around you.

In the years ahead we will be seeing more and more markers in places like this. 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry, HQ Company, 1987 – 2007. We will also see more and more of the wounded and crippled coming home. They will search for jobs and apartments that can accommodate them. They will seek services in an effort to readjust, adapt, and make sense of it all. They will come to pray along side us in our parish.

In the years ahead we will see the veterans of the Second World War pass into history and we will see our Korean and Vietnam vets pass as well.

Again, none of these facts are a mystery to us. Common sense tells us that death is inevitable. Our Christian faith assures us no death is void of hope.

Their sacrifice endures, yet we still ask the question: ‘Why?”

St. Paul gives us an insight:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Our brothers and sisters who have sacrificed thought about those things, and not by accident. Our history, both as a nation and as a people, founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, and owing to the patrimony of the Church, taught them to look for, study, and imitate what is right and good, namely sacrifice.

May their sacrifice be an eternal memory. May their sacrifice teach us to do likewise, to stand for what is right and good against all that would oppress us. May their sacrifice inspire our efforts in protecting the oppressed, and battling against all that is selfish, self-serving, and without merit.

In the end, it is our duty to honor, protect, defend, and promote the Gospel, and the way-of-life shown to us by Jesus Christ in the beatitudes. That duty goes beyond presidents, countries, borders, and even time. It is our Christian duty, the same duty those of integrity have stood and died for throughout the ages. It has been passed on to us and is ours to take-up, cherish, and honor.

Amen.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

Welcome to the Polish National Catholic Church. Whenever Father Andrew or I go somewhere people inquire about our parish. When we tell them we are from the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa Parish they say: ‘Oh, the Polish church.” Then they typically start asking us about various Roman Catholic prelates and priests. We gently tell them we are clergy of the Polish National Catholic Church. The typical response we receive: ‘Oh, do you have to be Polish to belong to that Church?’

Some are annoyed at having to explain that the Polish National Catholic Church is truly catholic, that is, universal. Personally I appreciate the opportunity to engage folks in a dialog. Each question is an opening and an opportunity to talk about our faith and beliefs.

The Polish National Catholic Church was established over 110 years ago to do one thing, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. At its inception it certainly ministered to Polish immigrants, in a language they could understand. It spoke to them in the same way the Apostles spoke to the gathered crowds in Jerusalem on Pentecost day. Those Polish immigrants proclaimed their joy. Like the inhabitants and visitors to Jerusalem they said:

“…yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.—

While ethnic identity played a significant role in the Church’s early life, more so did Bishop Hodur’s message of reform.

The heroes of the PNCC, Jerome Savonarola, whose commemoration we celebrated this past Wednesday, and Jan Hus, among others, are all marked by their efforts at Church reform. Savonarola and Hus are martyrs to reform. That message of reform and renewal is the same message people long to hear today. Our history provides us with an opportunity to take up that mantle.

Along with the message of reform, Bishop Hodur and his successors proclaimed the Holy Spirit’s action in our conscience. As Bishop Hodur said:

In the life of a free Christian the voice of conscience is important and is the only healthy standard of human actions. Our conscience, therefore, is our master, our judge and our chastiser. This voice cannot be muffled with impunity. Human conscience can only be influenced by good example, that means, that humanity should be educated in moral matters not by the threat of punishment in hell, not only anathemas or torture but only by the proper education of man. I strongly believe in Divine light, the light of man’s reason and the light of humanity.

Today we speak English, Spanish, Polish, Lithuanian, Norwegian, French, and many other languages. We work on three continents. We are alive solely by the power of the Holy Spirit who is active in each thing that we do.

Our charism and spirituality are something we bear before all people. As St. Paul reminds us:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.

We are not brand A, B, or C. We are the PNCC, a strong catholic witness to the Catholic faith. A faith that cannot be restrained within the walls of a church, nor within charitable institutions. It is a living and breathing faith that must be proclaimed in what we say and do each day.

Jesus didn’t intend for us to sit in a comfortable place. He calls all to change, grow, and develop, holding true to what is true, and reforming what is broken. He calls all to the challenge of proclaiming the gospel. The challenge of bringing God’s light to the conscience of mankind.

Jesus said to them again, —Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.—
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
—Receive the Holy Spirit…”

Yes, each of us, when we reached sufficient age and education, received that gift. On our Confirmation Day the Bishop extended his hands over us and said those very same words: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit was breathed into us and we took up the commission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.—

We have certainly tripped along the way, we have been weak, we have failed in our courage and conviction. Yet He waits. Yet the Holy Spirit continues to call us back and energizes us.

—Receive the Holy Spirit…”

…and do something powerful with what you have received.

Speak to the crowds with the languages you have been given. Speak to the people and make use of the gifts you have received. Speak truth and power, and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me

Ok, so where is Jesus. He prayed fervently for us to be one with each other, and one with Him. He prayed that we would be with Him, that we would see His glory.

Do you see it? Do you see Him?

That is the question that lurks in our minds. Where is Jesus? Why can’t I see Him? Why isn’t He pulling my bacon out of the fire?

St. Stephen knew and saw Jesus:

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God

…and he told the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin all about it:

and Stephen said, —Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.—

I wonder if Stephen was thinking about his bacon? I wonder if Stephen was concerned for himself as:

they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.

Jesus was certainly with Stephen and gave him a glimpse of the heavenly truth. It is a truth that surpasses all knowledge, a truth that can only be revealed by the light of faith.

The thing that Stephen knew, by light of his profound faith in Christ, is that Jesus is omnipresent. He is real in every aspect of our lives. He comes to us in our dreams and in our work. He sits with us in our loneliness, and at our parties. He loves you and me, through and through, with such a complete love that the saints who pondered it were devastated by its totality.

We are here, in this church, to profess that faith. The statement we make when we say I believe is recognition of the totality of God in all its revealed truth. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, present in the world and revealed in glory and power. God among us, living through His Holy Church —“ not an institution of bricks and mortar, but a living body —“ consisting of its parts, you and me, and standing before Jesus Christ as His bride.

St. Stephen knew and saw Jesus. St. John learned from Jesus and recounted Christ’s glorious revelation to His Church. The countless multitudes of saints and martyrs, whom we commemorate, attest to the fact that where Jesus is, we are. They attest to the fact that Jesus’ glory is ours to behold.

When you are afraid, fear not. When the fires of the world are going after your bacon, fear not. When you are put on the spot, and the crowd asks, ‘For what reason are you fearless,’ you can rightfully attest:

—Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.—

You and I have the glorious reassurance of Jesus’ prayer for us. We, the Christian faithful, stand together in attesting to His revelation. We stand as His bride, ready to bring Him into the streets, into homes, into hospitals and nursing homes, into the places where darkness, addiction, betrayal, and abuse live.

We are His children, the light of His glory. What comes bursting forth from us, His Holy Church, His bride, will bring redemption to all who live in darkness and pain. Redemption by baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you see His glory? Do you see Jesus?

Yes, my friends, we do. You and I, we are called to do this thing. Jesus’ prayer is not an unanswered prayer. Jesus’ petition to the Father is being brought to fulfillment in us in each prayer, in each Holy Mass, in each rising, in each day of work, in every marriage, in every household.

We are His witnesses.

The Holy Spirit is alive in us. His Holy Church is His bride.

The Spirit and the bride say, —Come.—
Let the hearer say, —Come.—

Let the one who thirsts come forward,
and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water.

The one who gives this testimony says, —Yes, I am coming soon.—
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.

An interesting picture to be sure; a small band gathered together on a hill in Bethany looking up at the sky.

I can imagine what may have been going through their minds. Maybe they felt amazement, expectation, fear, and wonder. Perhaps they experienced other emotions and thoughts.

Think of what they went through. In the past six months Jesus raised Lazarus, was greeted triumphantly, was arrested, tortured, and killed, rose, appeared to them, and was just taken up into a cloud.

People react to what happens in their lives in differing ways. The events of the past forty-three days saw Judas, so irreconcilable, as to choose death by suicide over forgiveness. They saw Peter, so irreconcilable, that he shed tears for days over his betrayal.

There was a lot going on as we say nowadays.

The angels appeared and said something startling. Somewhat akin to: ‘Hey, you, over here. What are you doing?’ Scripture recounts:

They said, —Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?—

In other words, you should be doing something else.

On this Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord, we are including the anointing of the sick as part of the Holy Mass.

We are doing that for a very important reason.

Brothers and sisters,

When we are sick or troubled we often turn inward. We may give in to looking at ourselves and lamenting our position, our situation.

Now there is no doubt that sickness is horrible; that sickness is a great cross for us to bear. Nevertheless, sickness in the Christian context is more. It is witness to the world.

The angels are speaking to us now, saying: ‘Hey, you, over here. What are you doing?’

Being a person with a chronic health condition gives me some perspective on the issue. The angels are asking me— —What are you doing?—

I need to respond by my choices; choices that are in keeping with my faith.

The world doesn’t want the yuckiness of sickness, the mess, pain, sorrow, and burden. Everyone hopes that their suffering will be short or better yet, non-existent. The world offers solutions, if suffering lasts. Those solutions reject God.

Well, we don’t want the yuckiness of sickness, the mess, pain, sorrow, and burden either. We don’t wish for it. But we know that it will come. So we must make our choice, and our choice is for God.

We have come here tonight. In faith we come to the healer, Jesus, our physician, and we ask Him for healing, for strength, and that we might be molded to Him in our suffering, and in His cross.

We come in faith, seeking enlightenment, securing our belief in the hope we have been given, and seeking the riches of Christ’s glory and the exercise of His power. As St. Paul reminds us:

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe

We bear witness to Him by our faith, faith that overcomes the yuckiness, pain, and sorrow of the world. We bear witness as He asked.

—and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.—

Before He left them, He raised his hands, and blessed them.

May he bless you, secure your hope, and shower the riches of His glory and power upon you.

Amen.

Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

Because there arose no little dissension and debate

A strangle quote from scripture to say the least. But hey, it’s Mother’s Day and doesn’t that line just about capture the essence of what mom is all about.

Deacon, are you saying that mom is about dissension and debate?

Let me explain.

The Judiazers showed up in Antioch and the surrounding areas and immediately went to work upsetting the apple cart. The people of Antioch, especially the gentile converts, were being told to do all sorts of unimaginable things. They had to go and get circumcised, they had to stop eating the foods they liked, they had to follow all sorts of rules and regulations about work, hand washing, etc. The house got a little crazy.

Moms, you know how that goes. Your husband has a bad day at work, your children are frustrated with school, the television, iPod, video games, Internet, and radio are delivering all sorts of messages to your loved ones, telling them how they should act and what they should do. Maybe they even go so far as to develop ideas about how you should act, about who you should be.

So the community got together with their leaders, the ones who were speaking truth, that is, Paul and Barnabas, and they decided to get the final word. Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem. The Church convened an Ecumenical Council, the first ever, and decided the question. The Judiazers were wrong and the people received true direction.

Moms, when you see things going wrong you speak with your husband and children. You turn off the TV, the radio, and limit the video games, Internet, and iPod downloads. You call a family council and you lead the family in working things out. You set the ground rules and you indicate the way to go. Your family knows that it can come to you for advice, guidance, and love.

The Holy Church, sometimes referred to as Holy Mother Church and moms have a lot in common. Not only do they have a lot in common, but what they have springs from the same place —“ the love of God.

They both have the same mission, entrusted to them by Jesus Christ. I am the way. Show my people the way.

The vision of the life to come, which John cracks open for us, gives us this picture:

I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.

The vision is the reality, namely God dwells in the midst of His people; the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the light among us.

That, my friends, is the present reality and the life to come.

All of us dwell in that reality and that hope. Moms especially carry that reality forward. Their vocation, however it should come to them, reflects that light and passes it on.

Moms, in their cooperation with the Holy Church, and in their vocation, stand as a bulwark against the fits of the world, against the Judiazers, the hypocrites, against all the messages that say: —Do as you please, do as we say, live today, for tomorrow we die.—

Moms have heard the message and have accepted the mission. They know that life is not just the here and now, the fads that fade, the influences that are like the grass that withers, the flowers that fade.

Moms believe in what Jesus said:

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

When the messages of dissension and debate come, they, faithful as they are to Christ’s message and mission, live and teach the promise given to all Christians, the message that is in the best interest of those they love.

—Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

Moms, grandmothers, godmothers, may our Lord ever bless you and enrich you in the graces needed to live out your vocation, to carry forth the message of Christ, and to be His missionary and messenger, standing for good and right against the sins of the world. May our mother Mary watch over, pray, and intercede for you.

Amen.

Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

The One who sat on the throne said,
—Behold, I make all things new.—

Taken from the 21st Chapter of the Book of Revelation, Verse 5

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

There are many views on baptism.

Some refer to it as a baby naming ceremony.

Some refer to it as making grandma and grandpa happy.

The first two reasons are silly to be sure. No one needs a baby naming ceremony. I think that everyone knows Ruby as Ruby by now.

Grandma and Grandpa are certainly happy and proud, but that will be expressed in tens of thousands of ways over the years to come. No one need waste a Sunday morning on that.

Some refer to Baptism as a cleansing from —original sin.—

Those with a solid Roman Catholic education will see this event as a cleansing ceremony. Ruby will be washed clean from the black mark of original sin that is said to be on her soul. As you may recall, that black mark is said to be an impediment to Ruby’s entry into eternal life. It separates her from God.

The reality is that such an understanding, such thinking, is the furthest thing from the truth.

The solid orthodox catholic teaching we hold to in the Polish National Catholic Church rejects such thinking.

Ruby was not born sinful, nor was she created in sin. Ruby is a beautiful child, created in the image of God, with a soul provided by God, God who makes nothing defective. Ruby was created in love, joy, happiness, and celebration. There was a moment of connection that transcended mortality and created life.

Ruby is here because of God’s love and her parents love. Ruby is here so that she may enter the Holy Church in preparation for battle against sin.

Brothers and sisters,

Jesus said:

I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

Many of you have come from a good distance. Metro New York, Boston, points between and beyond.

You have come to see something wonderful and miraculous happen.

There will be no washing from a sin that doesn’t exist. Rather, Ruby will be taking the first step on the road to regeneration. By water and the power of the Holy Spirit, Ruby will be regenerated. She will also be made a member of Christ’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

Regeneration is a decision and a step. Regeneration is a process of becoming and of growing, growing in the love of God.

With the assistance of her parents and godparents and all the family members and friends that are here today, as well as the Holy Church, Ruby will be on the road to the place John describes:

I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night, Jesus told him that a man must be regenerated, he must be reborn. He must make a conscious, positive, and affirming decision for Christ.

Bishop Hodur taught that this decision forever changes the person making the decision. Their focus changes.

In baptism Ruby’s focus forever changes. In her regeneration and inclusion her sights are set on God, on God’s dwelling, and on the life of God realized on earth in His Church.

My friends,

Ruby’s life has begun. She’s on the road to the fullness of life Jesus promised us. Along the way there will be great joys and temporary sorrows.

What I ask of each of you is that you take a lot of pictures today. And don’t let them sit on your computer or on a roll of leftover film in your camera. Don’t put them in an envelope on a shelf. Take those pictures, and make an album for Ruby.

When she’s sad or down, frustrated or struggling, pull out the album and sit for five or ten minutes. Show her the pictures, from the hospital, from the day she came home, and from the day of her baptism. Tell her a simple story about today, how people came from afar, how proud grandma and grandpa were, about the priest and deacon that were there and how she was regenerated and made a member of the Holy Church. Tell her that Jesus loves her. Tell her that you love her, and give her a kiss.

That’s what baptism is. The first step on the road paved with family, friends, the Church, love, the process of becoming and growing, and best of all, eternal life.

Knowing that will make Ruby happy, because it tells her that she has all of you forever.

Amen.

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.—