Blog & Pastor Letters

What do you call brothers who are born on the same day? Twins, of course. That is what we celebrate today in the inestimable saints, Peter and Paul. Wait: twins? Yes. The early Church believed that Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome on the same day. Since the day of martyrdom is celebrated as a saints’ birth into eternal life, the result is striking: Peter and Paul are twins in God’s family, the Church.

Have you ever paid attention to the purification of the sacred vessels after Holy Communion? If you haven’t, I highly recommend doing so this Sunday. See the care with which the priest handles the chalice and the paten, pouring water into them to cleanse any loose particles of the Body and Blood of Christ. Observe the loving reverence he uses in wiping them dry with a special purificator. It’s a ritual unto itself, and a powerful moment for reflection.

The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. That oneness is mirrored for us in the Holy Trinity: one God in three Persons. We are a diverse community with different backgrounds, cultures, realities, and gifts, but we are truly one. Unfortunately, we too often forget this and function as a fractioned body. We needlessly compete against one another, judge one another as opposed to help, and sit silent when our brothers and sisters call out for help.

I am a sports fan, and perhaps you are one, too. I don’t follow all sports, but those that I do follow usually involve a team. There is something about a team of individuals coming together for the goal of victory that is compelling. A team is only as good as the sum of all its players. If you have all the right talent at the right positions, great things can happen. What is hard for a fan to watch is a team that has great talent but fails to achieve its goals because some players choose not to give their all to the team. Selfishness, apathy, or immaturity keep some from giving fully of themselves. The hopes and dreams of a team and fan base are dashed even though they had all they needed to be the best.

We were created for community. Human beings are not meant to be alone. As each of us grows in our relationship with Jesus, we find ourselves drawn further into community. Our stewardship never reflects just on us, but on the Body of Christ to which we belong.

When speaking to his Father, Jesus always spoke about all of us as a whole. Jesus has a unique relationship with each and every one of us, but he also sees us collectively as one. When the Holy Spirit was sent to assist us until the Second Coming, she ascended upon a multitude, not just one person at a time.

I often lead group prayer with similar words: “Give us the wisdom to know Your will for our lives and the courage to follow it as we seek to make our community a clearer reflection of the Kingdom of God.” The words acknowledge that we need to be about God’s will, not our own, and in that journey, we will bear greater witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

“There’s something different about you.”

Think about the times in your life when this has been said to you. Maybe it was after someone complimented you on a job well done, and you realized that you were walking through life with a little more confidence. Maybe it was after meeting someone special, as you carried the glow of that relationship wherever you went. Chances are, if someone has noticed something different about you, it’s because, inwardly, you’ve been changed by the loving or respectful actions of another person.

Sheep get an awfully bad rap, linguistically. Some are quick to label people as “sheep” if we think they haven’t sufficiently questioned authority or if they’re too willing to go along with someone else’s plan. We say someone has “the wool over their eyes” if they aren’t willing to see what we think is very obvious. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing” is what we call someone looking to take advantage of those too gullible to identify a real threat.

I am struck by how Jesus addresses the disciples in the 21st chapter of John. They have been fishing all night, and when the dawn comes, Jesus asks, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They hadn’t caught a thing, so he tells them what to do to finally fill their nets. These children thought they knew best, but they couldn’t get the job done until they listened to Jesus. Like a child who needs a parent, these early followers of Jesus were learning that real maturity of faith requires trusting in and listening to the Teacher.

If you’re a parent, you know this to be true: the world is watching. All it takes is one slip-up — one bad word, one selfish action, one uncharitable commentary, and that’s the thing your child seems to notice.

When he or she calls you on it, the only thing you can do is come clean. “Yep, I did that,” you have to say. “I’m a work in progress, but luckily, God never stops working.”

Today, on the most important day of the liturgical year, the Apostle Paul is calling us out.

“I see you hiding in that tomb,” he says. “I see you baking with that old, stale yeast, thinking no one will notice.”

He says it a little more elegantly, I’ll grant you. But the message is this: If you want to be raised with Christ, you’d better be ready to step out of the shadows. Seek what is above — not what is on earth.

Jesus warns us in the Gospel of Matthew, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” It is an invitation to a way of life, and a plan that leads to holiness. But make no mistake, it is a warning as well. The cross is a sign of victory, but only in light of the Resurrection. Alone, it is a symbol of ultimate sacrifice: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for a fallen world, and the sacrifice we are called to make to truly follow him.

What’s your comfort zone: emotionally, professionally, personally? We all have one. But did you realize that you can have one spiritually? Think about what you like and what you don’t particularly enjoy when it comes to church, prayer, and liturgy. We all have “those songs” we crinkle our noses at, either because they’re too modern or too old-fashioned. We all have “those people” in our parish whose ideas we aren’t so sure about, whether that’s because they’re trying to change too much or because they seem always to be looking toward the past. Also, when was the last time you sat on the OTHER side of the church during Mass?