Acts 3:13-15, 17-19
1 John 2:1-5a
Luke
24:35-48
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In this weekend’s Gospel reading
we are witnessing a full scale rescue mission. Jesus is here to save humanity.
Moments after two disciples
return with hearts burning from their Road to Emmaus experience, Jesus appears
before the Apostles.
At first, they think he’s a
ghost, but Jesus shows them his flesh and bones.
Then, in an almost comical way,
he asks, “Hey, you got something to eat?”
All hope was gone with the
disciples after Jesus’ crucifixion. There were reports from the women disciples
about meeting angels at the tomb who said “Jesus is alive!” The men were amazed
by this news, but still had doubts.
Then the men on the Road to
Emmaus say they encountered Christ in the breaking of the bread. Still more
doubts.
Now Jesus appears -- alive and in
the flesh! And he’s even asking for something to eat.
Then, taking a
piece of baked fish, he sits down and interprets for them the Law of Moses and
all the words of the prophets and Psalms to show that He is the fulfillment of
Jewish scripture. And then tells them to proclaim repentance for the
forgiveness of sins in His name.
They’re about to write a new
story – the very story we hear about today in Acts of the Apostles. And in this
story everyone can be saved by Jesus. Today, Jesus tells the Apostles about
their role in this divine rescue mission.
Their encounter with the Risen
Christ changes everything. No more doubts. No more fears. No more hiding out.
We are now His witnesses, bearing
our own wounds from sin, wounds healed by Jesus.
Each of us has been scarred by
sin. Our wounds may not be visible, but we all bear wounds healed by Christ – wounds
not unlike those of Jesus, the nail marks in His hands and feet shown to the
disciples today.
Jesus was dead from the wounds of
our human sinfulness, but now he lives again. And his power is strong enough to
not only heal our wounds, but save us.
This past week, Pope Francis put
out an apostolic exhortation called “Gaudete et Exsultate” or “Rejoice and Be
Glad.” (Link to Gaudete Et Exultate)
In many ways, this, too, is a
divine rescue mission.
In his third exhortation, the
Holy Father puts “exhort” back in exhortation by creating a lovingly urgent call
to live lives of holiness. And the ways he suggests may surprise you.
Francis has created a beautiful
reflection on becoming a holy, living saint. It all starts with being kind and
continues with bearing witness to God in the things we say and do every day --
all of it in love.
“Gaudete et Exsultate” is
considered the most important magisterial text of the Roman Catholic Church on
the “universal call to holiness” since Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium.
It’s a must-read for every
Catholic and all Christians.
If we don’t see ourselves in its
reflection then we’re not looking hard enough.
The truth is we all sin, and we all
are saved by Christ alone.
And when Jesus saves us, we can
help Him to save others by our witness of holy lives -- what Pope Francis calls
“the most attractive face of the Church.”
Pope Francis is reminding us that
“God saves humanity via the incarnation – in fleshy, concrete human reality –
not via precepts and laws and complex ideas.”
The Holy Father packs this important
document with easy to understand ways of turning away from sin and embracing
our holiness. It’s “a meditation on ordinary, next-door holiness.”
No, we’re not expected to lead
perfect lives.
Here’s a brief snippet of
“Gaudete et Exsultate" that proves my point:
“Not everything a saint says is
completely faithful to the Gospel; not everything he or she does is authentic
or perfect. What we need to contemplate is the totality of their life, their
entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that
emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person.” (P. 22)
Francis is building on Pope Benedict
XVI’s first encyclical Deus Caritas Est (“God is Love”) released in 2005.
Here’s what Benedict said then, “being a Christian is not the result of choice
or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a
new horizon and a decisive direction.”
That person is Jesus Christ. That event is the resurrection.
Pope Francis also warns us to avoid certain kinds of Catholic mindsets that
are obstacles to salvation. In fact, they are called enemies of holiness.
One is a modern
form of a very old heresy: Gnosticism. Gnostics believe what matters most is
what you know. No need to be charitable or do good works. All you need is the
correct intellectual approach. These are the modern day know-it-alls of faith.
The second is another old heresy:
Pelagianism. Pelagians believe they control their own salvation through their
own efforts. They don’t believe they need God’s grace and can act superior to
others because they observe certain rules.
Our Holy Father is putting up a
mirror to us all and asking us to take a good hard look.
Pope Francis also is calling on
all Catholics to have an equal passion in our defense of every stage of human
life, and in every condition, from conception to natural death. Some have called
this a consistent life ethic or “seamless garment.” Single issue Catholics are
called to reexamine their approach to faith.
Got you intrigued
enough to read it? Good!
The entire
exhortation is an easy read. We’ve
posted links to it on our parish Facebook page and my homily blog at
deacondennis.com, and linked through the parish website. (Link to Gaudete Et Exsultate)
I’ll preach more on it in the
coming weeks.
Jesus tells the disciples today
to preach repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, in His name to all nations
-- repentance, and not condemnation. Repentance always requires humility, mercy
and love.
Jesus wants to
rescue us all from sin and death. Pope Francis is calling the faithful to lives
of everyday holiness, to become real saints in the world today.
This is how we change the world.
This is how we bring others closer to Christ. This is how we invite others onto
the divine life boat piloted by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ who has power alone
to rescue and save us.
