March 2, 2008
John 9:1-41
4th Sunday in
Lent
Today’s third reading is from
the Gospel according to John. It is the story of the cure of the man born
blind. The reading comprises the whole of Chapter 9 of the Gospel. It contains the
6th of the 7 miracle/signs performed by Jesus and its accompanying dialogue or
word/sign story that bears witness to and further reveals its deeper meaning.
In this 6th miracle story, Jesus reveals himself as the light of the world. It
is the story of how a man who sat in darkness was brought to see the light –
both physically and spiritually. It is also the story of how those who thought
they saw were actually blinding themselves into darkness. It is a magnificent,
superbly crafted tale, one worthy of detailed comment and much prayerful
thought.
In chapter 8, Jesus is
attending the annual Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths, of Tents). It was the 3rd
of the three great feasts of the Jewish year, “the holiest and greatest” of
them all, an eight day celebration of the fall harvest. An important part of
the celebration occurred on the first night. It was the celebration of the
lights; a ceremony called the illumination of the Temple. In the court of the
Women, four great candelabras were lighted that sent a “blaze of light
throughout Jerusalem.” Amid dancing and singing, the lights burned throughout
the night. It was an impressive sight. On the last day of the big feast, Jesus
was in the temple treasury area, preaching and teaching. Against the background
of the light celebration, he announced “I am the light of the world. No
follower of mine shall ever walk in darkness, No, he shall possess the light of
life.” It was as if he were saying, “Earlier this week you saw the temple
lights lighting up the darkness of the night – a brilliant light, true, but one
that fades away and dies.”
Having proclaimed himself as
the light of the world, Jesus goes on to perform another sign to show in what
sense he is the light which reveals God. He is the one sent by the Father to
make known the Father’s life and love. He is the light that opens the eyes of
faith.
Jesus and his disciples are
walking along, and comes upon a man blind from birth.
The disciples question Jesus, “Was it his sin, or that of his parents that
caused him to be born blind?” In Jesus’ day, there was still a strong belief in
a direct cause relationship between sin and sickness, so that if an adult got
sick, he could look to his behavior for the blame. Physical afflictions were
personal retributions for sin. So the
disciples were asking if sins of his parents made him blind, or could it be the
sins he would commit in his lifetime, or perhaps a prenatal sin committed by his
mother that caused his blindness. Which was it?
To assure, Jesus simply
affirms that it was neither. The man was blind simply that he might become a
sign of the light of the world, so that God could work thru him in due time. Then, using spittle and clay to anoint the man’s eyes. Jesus
cures the blindness. The cure comes only with washing in the pool at Siloam. As
the man returns he begins his journey of faith passing through several stages
of belief and understanding.
The man’s neighbors were
puzzled. They knew him to be blind from birth, and now he sees. “How were your
eyes opened?” they asked him. In his reply the man makes his first statement in
a steady progression of insight into whom Jesus is. The gradual development of
his faith begins with the statement “That man they call Jesus” did it.
The cure sets up an
atmosphere of controversy and hostility as the man is brought to the Pharisees
who become upset with it all. Sabbath laws were broken and the Pharisees could
not tolerate that, as if it were theirs to tolerate or control. The man’s life
was in no danger. Jesus could have waited for another day to heal. The
Pharisees pressured the man, “Since it was your eyes he opened, what do you have to say about him?” The man makes his 2nd
statement about the identity of Jesus. He has deeper insight now. His faith is
being challenged. His eyes are now open. “He is a prophet,” the man says, “He
is someone special.” The Pharisees press the parents for an explanation and get
no help. The parents are afraid of being expelled from the synagogue, and they
simply say, “He is of age, ask him.”
The Pharisees return to the
man and put him under oath. “Give glory to God” was an oath formula used before
giving testimony. The man refuses to buckle under all the badgering and
pressure. With courage and conviction, he progresses in his faith journey, “I
know this much. I was blind before, now I see.” They continued to press, “What
did he do?” He continued to persist, “I have told you once, but you would not
listen.” As the badgering continues, the man is led into a still deeper faith.
He makes the 3rd statement, revealing a still deeper insight into who Jesus is, “If this man were not from God, he could not
have done such a thing!” That man named Jesus who is a prophet is now one “from
God.” He is unique. He is “from God.”
Now Jesus searches the man
out in order to lead him to a deeper level of faith. “Do you believe in the Son
of Man?” “Who is he, sir, that I might believe in
him?” “He is speaking to you now.” “I do believe, Lord,” the man said. He comes
full circle into the full light of faith as he experiences the fullness of the
revelation of Jesus. Jesus the man, the prophet, the one from God, is now the
Son of Man. The man born blind, now brought into the light, makes his
confession of faith, “I do believe, Lord.”
As
the story ends, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees, “Are you calling us
blind?” Jesus answer, “If you were really blind, there
would be no sin in that. But you claim to see, ‘we see,’ you say, and your sin
remains.” The faith of the restored blind man stands out in irony against the
faith of the Pharisees. They had eyes and would not see. They had a faith that
grew progressively blinder preferring to remain in the darkness of their own
stubborn refusal to accept Jesus. They, the sighted ones, were really the blind
ones. They refused to accept the true identity of Jesus and so closed
themselves off from the light.
The
light-darkness metaphor is one that is very pervasive throughout the Bible.
From Genesis, where, in the beginning, there was only darkness, and where God
said, “Let there be light,” to the Apocalypse, where “the night shall be no
more, the Lord God will give them light.” Light and darkness have had a special
place in salvation history.
Throughout
salvation history, the light-darkness image was adapted and readapted,
expressing many opposites, as man’s experience changed. Light symbolized
happiness, peace, God; darkness symbolized unhappiness, chaos, and absence of
God. Man’s struggle to live in peace and happiness with God was the struggle of
light over darkness.
In
his humanity, Jesus the man-God, showed himself to be the true light. Wherever
he went, darkness was dispelled. In obedience to the Father, he met the
challenges of utter darkness, and He passed through that darkness into the
light of eternal life. He promised that those who follow and accept him would
share in the blessings of the glorious life.
Jesus is the light of the world, revealer of God. As that light, He
becomes the place to anchor our life, hopes, and beliefs. During this Lenten
time of inner journey and conversion, we do well to pause, give thanks, and celebrate, that in Jesus, “God has indeed called us out of
darkness into his wonderful light.”
Rev. Mr. Carlo Cannatella
Opelousas, LA
March 9, 2008
John 11:1-45
5th Sunday in
Lent
Today’s
third reading is from the Gospel according to John. It is the book that is a
testimony about Jesus, a witnessing to Jesus. John writes a testimony about
Jesus, as opposed to the other three evangelists who wrote announcing the Good
News of Jesus. His work witnesses to Jesus, in that it declares to main truths
about Jesus. Having declared them, it asks people to believe the truth about
him. At the end of his book, John sums it up, many things have been recorded in
this book, “to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so
that through this faith in him (i.e., believing in him) you many have life in
his name.”
Among
the many things recorded therein are seven special signs. These reveal
something of the mystery of this person Jesus Christ. Each one of the signs
invites people to a new understanding about Jesus. The seven signs are revealed
in the first twelve chapters of John’s book. Sign One – the Changing of Water
into Wine at Cana, reveals the nature of His work. The
human race will be purified (through water) and brought to new life. Sign Two –
The Cure of the Feverish Son near death, points to the ministry of Jesus. As He heals and restores life. Sign Three – The Cure of the
Sick Man near the Bethesda Pool, points to Jesus as the Word of God. “Stand up,
and walk!” was all He said, more potent than any healing waters. Sign Four –
The Feeding of the 5000 – reveals the real bread of life, Jesus, who sustains
us with His Living Word and the Gift of His Own Life in the Eucharistic Bread.
Sign Five – Jesus walking on the Water, a sign of the saving presence of God,
“It is I.” A presence that strengthens and consoles.
Sign six – The cure of the Man born Blind,
a sign of Jesus as the true light of the world, as the One who reveals
all that is needed, God, the source of life, happiness and salvation.
Today’s
Gospel reveals Sign Seven – The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead. The climax of
all the signs: the greatest witness to who Jesus is,
the revealing of Jesus as the Lord of Life, “I am the Resurrection and the
Life.”
In
chapter five of John’s book, Jesus unfolds that “An hour is coming in which all
those in their tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and come forth.”
The raising of Lazarus is the acting out of that promise, illustrating that
Jesus is the “life.” It is the sign par excellence of who Jesus is and what he
brings to mankind. The raising of Lazarus from the tomb is very powerfully
told. It points to the greatest revelation of Jesus, the sum total of all His
words and works.
“I am the
resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me,
though he should die, will come to
life;
and whoever is alive and
believes in me will never die.”
Jesus
is the “resurrection,” he effects total victory of life or death, in the sense
that whoever believes in him, even thought he suffers an earthly death, will
come to life in a higher sense. Jesus is the “life,” in the sense that whoever
believes in him and comes to possess that eternal life, will never die in a
definitive sense. He will live a life in which there is no death.
The
story also points to the absolute necessity of faith as the one condition for
receiving this life. Jesus will restore to life all that believes in him.
“Whoever believes in me” will come to life … and will never die.” Crucial to
the life of a Christian is his personal faith in Jesus.
The
story of Lazarus closes the Book of Signs, and brings us closer to the coming
celebration of the reality of the Passion and Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
“I am the resurrection and the life:
whoever believes in me,
though he should die, will come to life;
and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die,” said
Jesus.
He
turned to Martha and said, “Do you believe me?” “Yes, Lord,” she said. He asks
you and me, “Do you believe me?”
My
Lenten journey continues, and I am swept into thoughts about life and it
preciousness, death and its reality. Death is the one obstacle that always
seems to mar our happiness. Man experiences life as the gift par excellence,
gift of the gods, gift of the One God, the crowning achievement of the
all-powerful creator. But man also experiences the opposite of life, its enemy,
and death. Death surrounds man and it makes life man’s most fragile gift,
because it hovers over man, constantly stalking, waiting, and threatening. It
confronts man with its great challenge. Somewhere along the way, man is forced
to ask himself, “What is life? What am I about? What is the meaning of life?”
Man seems oriented toward death. Is death really all there is left after this
life?
Man
searches for answers in his own private world, whatever that is, wherever he is
in his own ambitions, in nature, in sciences, in philosophers. Ultimately, he
has to face the life-death issue within himself with the only thing he has
left, his faith, because outside his faith there really are no answers.
We
go to the Book of faith and search the Scriptures for life, its meaning and
purpose. We search for an answer to death, not to avoid or delay it, but simply
to know it for what it is. The Scriptures provides our answers if we have the
courage to believe and the faith to respond. Believing and accepting those two
truths leads us to know that as His sons and daughters whom He loves; we are
destined to live forever. The ultimate answer to our quest is simply that in
Jesus Christ, we have been given th
e gift of eternal life. That alone is the answer to all our questions about
life and death.
Throughout
that magnificent testimony to Jesus, we find God’s purpose, His faithfulness,
His love. We find all the answers in the Son, Jesus Christ.
God so
loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him may not
die but may have eternal life.
“I came that they may have
life, and have it abundantly.” “I am the life.”
“I am going to prepare a
place for you, and then I shall come back to take you with me, that where I am
you also may be.”
On the
Fifth Sunday of Lent, as we begin the countdown toward the celebration of the
Paschal Mystery, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded again of
the preciousness of life and its frailty. John'’ masterful telling of the
Lazarus story brings us back and we are onlookers, part of the crowd. We are
called to change our skepticism to belief, to reaffirm with Martha our own act
of faith. Jesus is the Resurrection, the Life, the perfect fulfillment of God’s
faithfulness and love.
To
celebrate Lent is to reaffirm our own act of faith that resurrection is indeed
real. It was real for Jesus and it will be real for us. To reaffirm means that
we do believe it to be true. We accept the life and the person of Jesus. We
follow his way and shall find perfect happiness and live forever.
Jesus
asks you and me again:
And we say,
“Yes,
Lord.”
Rev. Mr. Carlo Cannatella
Opelousas, LA
March 16, 2008
Matthew
26:14-27:66
Palm Sunday
Today’s
third reading is from the Gospel according to Matthew. It is that evangelist’s
story of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, written in his own style with
its own emphasis and purpose.
Our
approach to Matthew’s Passion Narrative is within its own context and purpose.
Matthew writes for a Jewish audience to reaffirm their faith in Jesus Christ as
the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament hopes and
expectations and prophecies. With sheer genius, Matthew tells his story
presenting Jesus in that role, calling for Jesus to step out of the pages of
the Old Testament. Viewing his narrative in that light is indeed a fascinating
study.
Perhaps
to us, here and now, there is a more meaningful approach to Matthew’s story. As
we live our Christian lives as followers and believers in Jesus Christ, our
basic call is to be disciples. Our basic struggle is how do we answer that
call? Jesus says to each of us, “Follow me.” In today’s Liturgy, he leads us
into a life of suffering, condemnation and death. How do we answer that? How
can we be faithful to such a call? What does his suffering and death mean for
us?
In
33 A.D., or thereabouts, there were many people who followed Jesus. People
found their own call and struggled to respond. In Matthew’s Passion Narrative,
we meet some of them, with various responses and degrees of fidelity to him.
Perhaps in them we can find our own call, our own response. So we prayerfully
take a look at them as a meaningful approach to better understanding of Jesus
and ourselves.
“One
of the Twelve whose name was Judas Iscariot” … The Passion drama begins. The
first person who encounters Jesus is Judas Iscariot. His response is betrayal.
We can’t really say exactly why he betrayed Jesus. It’s hard to believe it was
for only “30 pieces of silver.” Perhaps he says Jesus as a “loser.” Perhaps
Jesus didn’t measure up to his own expectations. Perhaps Jesus had demanded a
bit too much. At any rate, “What are you willing to give me for him?” 30 pieces … and death at his own hands.
“Even
though I have to die with you, I will never disown you!” Such strong words!
“And all the other disciples said the same.” Peter makes a confession of faith.
“All the other disciples include James and John, to select trio, the favored
three. Jesus takes them into Gethsemane and tells them, “Remain here and stay
awake with me.” He asks only that they spend some time with him in prayer, but
they are unable to do that. He asks them to share his suffering. “My heart is
nearly broken with sorrow,” but they close their eyes to the reality.
Peter’s
struggle with discipleship is even greater. He can’t admit that he even knows
Jesus. He had vowed, “I will never disown you,” and yet three times he said, “I
don’t even know the man!” Peter learns the hard way about the demands of discipleship.
Faced with a difficult decision, he gives way to fear and denies Jesus. He
sacrifices his own integrity and self-respect, and yet he is graced. Unlike
Judas who “went off and hanged himself,” Peter is healed as he remembers the
words of Jesus predicting his denials. He weeps in repentance, receives the
forgiveness of Jesus, and undergoes conversion one more time.
Pilate
is the man who decides Jesus’ fate. He believes Jesus to be innocent of any
wrongdoing, and yet he sacrifices his own authority to please the crowd. He
lacks the courage of his convictions. He refuses to set Jesus free. He washes
his hands and declares himself innocent. He deludes himself and betrays Jesus
in his own way.
“On
their way out they met a Cyrenian named Simon.” We
find the only one who responds to Jesus in an affirming way. Simon is asked to
carry the cross. He too participates in the crucifixion of Jesus with a
different kind participation. He shares the cross of Jesus. His action teaches
us that to “follow” Jesus, to share His life, means to participate in His
suffering and death. Simon becomes each of us called to “follow me” even unto
death. As we follow him through suffering and into death, he leads us into a
new life.
As
this drama began, Matthew recorded, “All the disciples deserted him and fled.”
As it ends, though, there are those who stayed with Jesus through it all. There
is a faithful discipleship. Many women stood by the cross and witnessed the
death of Jesus. They were not afraid. “Many women, among them Mary Magdalene,
Mary the Mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons,” witness
the death and burial of Jesus. They will be the first to meet the Risen Lord.
They learn first hand that to be a disciples
of Jesus is to live in hope. To share His sufferings is to find the meaning of
life, the new life with Him for all eternity.
These
are some of the characters in Matthew’s Passion story. Each of them is called
to respond to Jesus. Each of them demonstrates how fragile discipleship can be.
Each of them speaks to us, here and now.
Rev. Mr. Carlo Cannatella
Opelousas, LA
March 23, 2008
John 20:1-9
Easter Sunday
Today’s
third reading is from the Gospel according to John, the Gospel “that is
different.” It is the beginning of his resurrection narrative. Like the rest of
the Gospel “that is different, this resurrection narrative is different from
that found in the three other Gospels, particularly the first part of the
narrative which makes up today’s Gospel reading.
The
reading is really a testimony to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. It is John’s story of the discovery of the empty tomb. It does agree in
time with the other Gospels. It happens “early in the morning on the first day
of the week.” It happens early on Sunday morning, a new dawning of a new day of
a new week. It all makes a new beginning.
In
John’s version, only Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb. No reason is given for
her visit. She discovers that the stone has been moved away, and she runs with
the news to “Peter and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved).” Her first
impression was that the body of Jesus had been removed. “The Lord has been
taken away from the tomb!” Peter and the other disciples verified the report.
The tomb is now empty. They found only the empty tomb and the burial wrappings.
All
four Gospels record the discovery of the empty tomb, with none of them
attempting to “explain” the resurrection as to describe it. The Resurrection is
allowed to remain the mystery that it is, with even the “how it happened” not
speculated about. The empty tomb doesn’t really become proof of the
resurrection. The body could have been stolen or removed. Then too, the body of
Jesus could also have been raised from the dead. To those who come to believe
that, particularly after their encounters with the Risen Jesus, the empty tomb
became a sign of the resurrection, a sign which began to challenge, and still
challenges, those not privileged with post-resurrection personal appearances by
the Risen Lord. The empty tomb helped to explain the reality of the bodily
resurrection of Jesus.
John’s
story records the first “coming to believe” in the resurrection. It is, in a
sense, a pilgrimage of the disciples toward faith in the resurrection of Jesus.
After Peter had discovered all the body wrappings in tact
inside the tomb, the unnamed disciples went into the tomb. John says, “He saw
and believed,” quick to add, “Remember, they as yet did not understand the Scriptures.”
They did not yet have the key to explain what had happened. They had not yet
recalled passages from the Scriptures that spoke of resurrection. These
eventually helped them to understand the Resurrection of Jesus.
From Hosea:
“He will
revive after two days,
On the
third day he will raise us up.”
From Psalm 16:
“Because
you will not abandon my soul to the nether world nor will you suffer you
faithful one to undergo corruption.”
Rev. Mr. Carlo Cannatella
Opelousas, LA
March 30, 2008
John 20:19-31
2nd Easter
Sunday
From
Easter until Pentecost Sunday the third readings for the Sunday Liturgy of the
Word are taken from the Gospel according to John. Today’s reading is peculiar
to John’s Gospel. It is his account of the first two post-resurrection
appearances of Jesus to his disciples.
His
first appearance takes place on that first Easter Sunday night, “on the evening
of that first day of the week…” The disciples, crushed by his crucifixion and
fearful for themselves, had locked themselves in a room. “Jesus came and stood
between them.” Jesus appears as the Risen Lord. He transcends earthly body
limitations by passing through locked doors. He is no longer a man like other
men. As Risen Lord, he imparts to them his “peace.” “Peace be
with you” is the fullness of God’s blessing and well-being. “He showed them his
hands and his side.” As Risen Lord, Jesus is not a spirit nor
an illusion. The disciples see his wounds. They can touch him. There is
continuity now between the crucified Jesus and the Risen Jesus. The disciples
recognize him and rejoice.
Jesus
greets them once again with God’s peace: shalom. He commissions them as he had
been commissioned. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” He breathes on
them giving them His Gift of the Holy Spirit. “Receive the Holy Spirit.” With
that comes their mission and powers to pass on this life-giving Spirit of Jesus
to others and to forgive sins.
The
second appearance of Jesus takes place on week later in the same room. In the
first appearance all of the disciples had seen and believed. Thomas, one of the
Twelve, was not present. When told of Jesus’ appearance, he refused to believe
and demanded a demonstration. “I will never believe it without probing the nailprints in his hands, without putting my finger in the nailmarks and my hand into his side.” Now he is with the
group and Jesus appears through locked doors. “Peace be
with you!” He offers the doubting Thomas the demonstration he demanded. “Take
you finger and examine my hands! Put your hand into my side!”
Thomas
doesn’t touch Jesus. Hearing the Word and the simple challenge, “Believe!” was
enough. Thomas comes to faith. “My Lord and My God!” is a supreme act of faith,
an affirmation of the oneness of Jesus with God his Father: Elohim,
Kyrios, Lord!, Yahweh, Theos, God! The most explicit declaration of the divinity
of Jesus in the Gospel is Jesus is God!
On
this triumphant note, John’s Gospel comes to an end with Jesus proclaiming a
new beatitude. “Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.” John
proclaims that all these things have been recorded “to help you believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that through this faith you may have
life in his name.”
Rev. Mr. Carlo Cannatella