So the Lord sent them on their way. Seventy two, He sent. The harvest is abundant. So be on your way. I’m sending you like lambs among wolves. [Luke 10: 1-13].

So once upon a time, in our time, George and Mable decided they were going to be Catholic missionaries. They picked up everything including their son, John. They moved to the “no priest” land of upper Mississippi. John was attending a small college about twenty-five miles away. He used the same interstate to go to school that his parents used to go to their little Catholic mission. One day their son John decided he should call his parents and give them a warning. He knew his parents would be on the same interstate. He called them, and told them “please be careful of a certain stretch of highway because a car was  driving  the  wrong way, against the traffic.” His parents called him back. “Thanks for the call,” they said. “But it’s not just one car,” they said. They’re all going the wrong way, except for us.”

Sometimes when the Lord says, “go, get on the road and help me,” we may be faced with all kinds of opposite traffic. It may be our mistake that we go against the traffic. Or it may be that the traffic in that area will always go against us.

St. Anthony of Padua was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1185 and died in 1231. He was well educated at the “cathedral school.” He joined the Augustinian order of canons but was disappointed with the direction of the order. It seemed he and they were at cross purposes. He joined the Franciscans, took the habit, and then sailed to Morocco where he wished to minister to the local people. But the “traffic” was against him. He fell ill and was forced to go back to Europe, this time to Assisi. When he was called upon to preach, the friars discovered his great
abilities. St. Francis of Assisi, himself, assigned Anthony to teach at Bologna and again, to Montpellier, Limoges, and then became the Provincial Superior of Bologna in 1227. He spent the short balance of his life, four years, at Padua where he preached and taught. He was canonized one year after his death in 1232 and was later declared “doctor of the church” (1946).

It seemed that what Anthony wanted, that is, to go to Morocco and be a missionary, or to preach in the Alps of northern Italy to regain the heretics there, [it seemed] his wishes never worked out. He was always running counter to traffic. However, when he was sent by his superiors to do ministry, everything worked out fine. It seemed that God was speaking through them. Because of his obedient, simple life,  Anthony became a living saint.

As a saint, Anthony is invoked to return lost items.   I  recall   a   real  incident  where  a  book of psalms, which Anthony was using in the classroom, was stolen by a student. Anthony’s prayers alarmed the student. The student saw an apparition. It was a warning. The student returned the book. What was lost was found.

Anthony is known for his concern for the poor, although he rarely ministered to large numbers of poor people; but he prayed for them. People would give alms for the poor which were known as, “St. Anthony’s Bread.”  Although his contact with mothers was limited, he is known to have protected pregnant mothers by his prayers, and is often depicted with the Holy Child Jesus in his arms as an indication of his concern unborn and for newborn children. Also, the Holy Child Jesus that Anthony holds was understood to be a reward from Jesus for Anthony’s child-like innocence. He is also known as patron of travelers, although he rarely traveled far from his places of living. There is one dramatic moment  in  his  life  as  recorded  in  the Franciscan Chronicles, chapt. 24, verse #21, that once, when carrying the blessed sacrament in procession, near his little church, a resentful heretic and townsperson yelled profanities against the sacrament and proceeded to verbally abuse Anthony. All the yelling caused a nearby mule to unfetter itself. The mule headed toward the sacrament to the surprise of everyone. The mule suddenly knelt before the sacrament and would not move until all the yelling was over. The heretic was overcome by the sheer  sacredness  of  the scene. Anthony processed on to where he was supposed to go, in the local church, to preach and teach.

Our scripture: The prophet Isaiah assures us that the Lord will give joy and comfort to all His servants. Servants are those who go, and do the will of the Lord. [Isaiah 66: 10-14c].

Paul’s letter to the Galatians remind us that true servants of the Lord never boast of their own accomplishments.  They  boast  of  the  power of the
“cross,” the power of dying to selfishness and sin and relying on the singular power of Jesus, to bring transforming, holy change to a fallen world. [Galatians 6: 14-18].

So we pray:  Lord Jesus, You call, we follow. Sometimes we confuse our purpose and Your purpose. Sometimes we go against “traffic” and wonder why? Lord Jesus, gently guide us to Your purpose, to preach Your way. You gave Anthony of Padua power in his prayer, power in his preaching, and power in his example. He founded no missions, built no churches, and made no great journeys. He taught and evangelized simply, and in simple places, in the small friaries where he lived. Might we not have the grace to do the same? A favor we ask in Jesus’ name who lives forever and ever. Amen.

Rev. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Parish
Yellow Springs, OH

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” [Luke 9: 54].

Fast forwarding to our times, there are groups of people who do not like Christ or the Christian religion. They have emerged as the darlings of the New York Times. They are on the best seller lists. They want to remove the “idiots” of society who spread the “poison of religion.” These darlings are the notable authors called the New Atheists.

Sam Harris has written a book entitled, “The End of Faith.” Christopher Hitchens has written a book entitled, “God is not Great, How Religion Poisons Everything.” Richard Dawson has written a book entitled, “The God Delusion.” The new atheists say that they represent the inevitable future of “rational and   scientific   humanity”  which  will  replace  “the
irrational/religious humanity.” Their strategy and tactics have become focused and forceful.

Hitchens and Dawson have announced plans to arrest Pope Benedict XVI during his pastoral visit to England this coming September (2010). They accuse Pope Benedict of “crimes against humanity” because of the child abuse issue. This is a platform for new atheists to tout as they grow in attention.

In July 2008, a biology professor, Paul Z. Meyers, of the University of Minnesota declared, “Nothing must be held sacred. Question everything. God is not great. Jesus is not your Lord, you are not disciples . . .” His message was announced on his blog. He claimed also to have desecrated a consecrated host while making his remarks.

We are seeing the onset of “Blasphemy Day” which first occurred in 2009. Blasphemy Day included an event called “trade your bibles for pornography.” There is even an event to “de-baptize” believers by using hair dryers.

Is all this occurring because belief in God is on the upswing in America and in Europe (especially after many years of decline in Europe following WWII)?

Hitchens has four premises: 1) Religion and religious faith misrepresents the origin of humankind; that there is no creator who created the universe and life. 2) Religion makes humanity a slave. There is no freedom. 3) Religion is the result of sexual repressions, the inability to really express sex-ual relations. 4) Religion is wishful thinking about life after death.

Our consistent answers are: 1) That there is a power beyond all forces, a wisdom beyond all thinking, a truth beyond all reasoning, a calm beyond all chaos, a prime mover and creator who is uncreated. What is more is that every culture in the world has expressed a desire for union with that power, the power beyond, the uncreated creator. 2) No  freedom:   We   answer   that   Jesus   really  did
understand humanity and following His ways gives freedom. 3) Sexual repression: Sex/sexuality can be a chaotic power. Each of us needs some ordering of our reproductive habits in ways that respect the man, the woman, the child, and all of nature. Used the wrong way sexuality destroys. Used the right way it is life giving. Connected to Jesus, our ultimate good, this power gives life. Disconnected from ultimate good we can destroy each other. This is Paul’s message in his letter to the Galatians, the second reading. 4) Life after death is mysterious and beautiful. In Faith we believe that one person did come back from the dead in order to lead all from death to life. Moving on:

New atheists share a common cause, to ban “religious principles, expressions, art, words, and symbols” everywhere. It is not a simple matter or removing the word, “God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. The very word and idea of “God” would be removed from all parts of the American culture or government.  Parents  would  not  be  able to raise their children in “faith.” Religion is something that the new atheists want silenced. [See The Catholic Answer, July-August 2010].

“Lord do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” [Luke 9: 54-55]. Jesus rebukes the disciples and says, “no.” Jesus is implying that the unbelievers will come around just as Elisha came around to following Elijah. [First Kings 19: 19-21].

Jesus for His part invites many to follow. Jesus hears a reply, “let me go bury my father, or say farewell to my family.” These are backhanded responses. The first excuse means the father, most likely, had another twenty years to live before the father would die. It was a polite, but backhanded “No Thank You” to Jesus. The second excuse about the family, most likely, is that the wife is not yet dead and that she and the family come first, before Jesus. Many people today do the same thing. “No thank you. Not yet Lord, not yet, if ever.”

So we pray:  Lord, Your challenge means a  commitment from us to follow. Lord Jesus, there will always be people of disbelief. Show us by Your love how to convey the reality, the truth, the wisdom and eternal beauty that is You. Help us to share ultimate Love, wisdom and truth with all humanity as You did, Lord. In your name we pray for You live forever and ever. Amen.

[See, “Who are the new Atheists?” by Robert Lakwood, The Catholic Answer V24, #3, p6-8, July, August 2010.]

Rev. A. J. Geraci

St. Paul Church

Yellow Springs, OH

Download Homily (pdf)

Preface: The information in the following homily will be useful when you, your neighbors and friends are talking about why we Catholics so deeply respect the role of St. Peter, which is lived out in the role of the pope. When you are having your afternoon pickles and tea you will have some scripture quotes to help you. The following homily has a number of scripture citations.

The most important Apostle, most significant Apostles is St. Peter. My statement is not based on hearsay, that is, unsubstantiated information. My comment is based on the teaching of scripture. Our knowledge of St. Peter, his life, personality and death is chiefly derived from the four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle to the Galatians. There are also two epistles attributed to St. Peter. According to the Gospel written by John 1: 44, Peter was a native of Bethsaida, a town near Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee [John 1: 35-42]. St. Andrew, brother of Peter, introduces Peter to Jesus. Jesus gives Peter an Aramaic name equivalent to the Greek word Petros. It is Cephas. Both words mean “rock.”

Peter and Andrew are fishermen. But Jesus commands Peter to follow as a “fisher of men.” [Matthew 5: 19-20].

Peter is described as belonging to a smaller inner group of disciples, the twelve, the Twelve Apostles, and within that group a core group of three, Peter, James, and John. The core group of Peter, James, and John witness the raising of Jairus’s daughter [Mt. 9: 18-26]; the Transfiguration [Mt. 17: 1-8]; and they witness the Agony in the Garden [Mt. 26: 37].

In all of the lists of the Apostles, Peter is named first  although  it  was  Andrew  who knew Jesus first. [See Matthew 10: 2, Mark 3: 16, Luke 6: 13-16, and Acts 1: 13].

We call this firstness “primacy”. The primacy of St. Peter continues through the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, the pope.

In today’s gospel according to Luke [9: 18-24], the central passage of the gospel reading is called the “confession of Peter.” The word confession here means a profession. It’s Peter’s profession of faith and belief in Jesus who is Christ (the anointed one of God, Saviour, Redeemer Messiah, Son of God). Peter’s profession of faith in Jesus is also found in Mark 8: 27-30 and Matthew 16: 16. In Matthew’s account (16-18)  the  Lord  Jesus  adds  the  words, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.” The passage (Matthew 16: 18 and following) also includes the power to bind and to loose in heaven and on earth through the power of the keys, the keys of the kingdom of God.

St. Peter and St. John are entrusted with the preparations  for  the  Last  Supper.  During  the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus reaffirms the pre-eminence of Peter by praying for Peter [Luke 22: 31]. And while Peter boasts that he will never abandon the Lord Jesus, Jesus predicts a threefold denial [Matthew 26: 33 f.]. After the resurrection St. Peter is made to profess his love in Jesus, three times, at the Sea of Tiberias/Galilee and receives a charge from Jesus to feed His lambs and sheep. [John 21: 15-19].

After the Ascension Peter immediately exercises leadership to help choose a replacement for Judas [Acts 1: 15-22].

On the day of Pentecost it is St. Peter who is preaching and the first of the Apostles to cause miracles in the name of Jesus [Acts 2: 14-41 and 3: 1-10]. Even Peter’s shadow heals the sick [Acts 5: 15].

Peter leads the Council of Jerusalem along with James [Acts 15: 7-11] and help to formulate a compromise, to open the Church to Gentiles.

Peter becomes founder of the Church in Antioch and ordains Ignatius of Antioch to continue his ministry. Peter moves to Rome, founds the Church there and is followed by Paul. [See Romans 15: 20-22].

The third bishop of Rome, successor to Peter, was Clement, pope/bishop in the year 96 ad. Clement   wrote  many   letters.  In  the  letter  titled, I Clement, chapter 5, Clement claims both Peter and Paul as outstanding heroes of faith, who founded the Church of Rome, exercised special authority, and started Episcopal succession, that is, they ordained Bishops to take their place. The biblical scholar and theologian, Origen of Alexandria (185-254 ad) tells us that Peter requested to be crucified upside down. This was done  under  the  Emperor  Nero  in  64  ad. Peter’s request to be crucified upside down grew out of his sense of unworthiness to be crucified right-side up like Jesus. There could be only one Jesus and one crucifixion like that of Jesus.

St. Peter is noted by historians and scripture scholars as the source of information behind the gospel of St. Mark. St. Mark’s gospel is the oldest synoptic gospel and the oldest of all four gospels. The words that describe events, where St. Peter is included, are some of the oldest used in the gospel of Mark.

When the prophet Zachariah, our first reading, prophesied the suffering of the Messiah, who is from the House and lineage of David, Zachariah is pointing to Jesus, known by St. Peter, denied by St. Peter, and loved by St. Peter. When St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, is speaking of the inclusion of Jews and Greeks, that is, the inclusion of the Jews and Gentiles, in the plan of salvation, by baptism
into Jesus Christ, Peter was there, part of the process   of   including   all   humanity  in  that plan. And in the gospel it is Peter who reveals the true, divine nature of Jesus. [Luke 9: 18-21].

For more on the role of St. Peter and the Papacy, note the Council of Chalcedon 451 AD and Pope Leo I.

So we pray:  Lord Jesus, the leadership of Peter is still with us, exercised in the ministry of Pope Benedict. Bless Pope Benedict and help him keep the Church together. Help him to keep its teaching pure and our practices true to Jesus as St. Peter did. We pray through Jesus who lives forever and ever. Amen.

Rev. A.J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

There is an attitude in human beings, as old as the human race, and as current as the latest computer.  It is an attitude that will shut us off from God.  It’s called “self-sufficiency”.

Simon, the Pharisee is self-sufficient.  He probably had several homes, owned vineyards and a wine press.  He probably owned a number of olive groves, fig trees, and had an array of traveling animals, anything from mules to horses, to camels.  Simon, the Pharisee probably owned slaves and was prominent in the synagogue.

Simon, as a good host, was suppose to have greeted Jesus with his hand on his guest’s shoulder and exchange a kiss of peace.  He did not.  Simon was to have refreshed his guest with cool water poured over the guest’s feet to bring comfort and cleansing.  He did not.  Simon was to have sweet smelling incense burning when the guest arrived and was to have placed a drop of perfumed oil on the guest’s head, perhaps a drop of Rose Oil.  He did not.  What is so interesting in the Gospel story, and the time it was written, is that none of the steps of welcome were to be omitted, not ever. Simon, however, did omit them.

Simon was not remotely aware that anybody among his guests needed anything, leastwise, Jesus.  The one attitude that shuts us off from God is self-sufficiency. It’s something like saying, :Since I’m OK you must be OK,” emphasis on “must.” Simon is not attentive.  Simon is self-absorbed and self-sufficient. He has everything and needs nothing.

The sinful woman, on the other hand, has a good sense of human nature. She knows that we are not completely self sufficient. She knows that a new-born infant needs its mother and father.  Children need teachers. Sick people need doctors. And people who make mistakes need helpers and mentors. As soon as we are born we are dependent on each other. We are not perfect. We make mistakes, some good, some bad. Sometimes we sin and we need each other and God more than ever.

The sinful woman has a sense of humanity. She has a sense of healthy dependency which influences her sense of hospitality, her active concern. Her great love and empathy moves her away from the position of sin, self righteousness and self sufficiency to a position of self-effacement. Self effacement means she is acting humbly, openly, and lovingly. She is not self absorbed. She has made room in her life for something more. It is often the case in our human experience that we come to a question in our lives: “Is this all” Isn’t there something more? I have my education, my career, my wife, my husband; I have my children; I have my money, my T.V., my computer, my DVD’s and my compact discs. I can roll from bed to the automobile, to the grocery, roll back home, eat, sleep, and watch

T.V. I can even get the televised Mass. What more do I need.” Answer: The something more that completed the woman’s life was Jesus. She knew she needed the Son of God, and the Son of God more than reciprocated her hospitality with acceptance, mentoring, and divine forgiveness. Perhaps reflect on this gospel story: If God, who all perfect, all loving, and completely self sufficient; if God who does not need us humans has made room for us, cannot we make room for God?

So we pray:  Lord Jesus, we cannot rely on ourselves to find our ultimate meaning and peace.  With Holy King David, we acknowledge that in our strength and in our weakness, in our failures and in our success, it is only You who make all things right and fulfill our every need.  You lift the sinner.  You confound the proud of heart.

With St. Paul, we proclaim that it is not our self-sufficiency that makes us good and holy people.  What  makes  us  great  people is our faith in Jesus, active faith in Jesus; faith filled with love, because the dear Lord has loved us first. You dear Lord have made room for us first, from all eternity.  Help us make room in all our accomplishments, in all our challenges, in all our business, in all our family affairs; help us make room for You, Lord Jesus. Keep our faith alive and our love strong and we shall be saved.  A favor we ask of You, Lord Jesus for you live forever and ever. Amen.

Rev. A.J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

The prayer of Mechizedek, presented to us in the Book of Genesis is a statement of gratitude. It’s a statement we all need to make. Gratitude makes us complete human beings. It is gratitude to God and to our neighbor that underlies the kind of people Christians are and the kind of worship we practice; grateful people, grateful worship.

Jesus, in the holy gospel, performs a Messianic Miracle, the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish. It was said that the Messiah would feed His believers. He did. And this miracle made everybody grateful.

To explain: The divine compassion, the divine generosity of Jesus moved others to be grateful. You can imagine the attitudes of those hungry people. A gift is given and in gratefulness the gift is spread. “Here, let me help spread this gift because I am grateful to have received it from Jesus. Have some,” they might have said to each other. People were so moved by all this gratefulness that twelve baskets of food remained. That means there was a “lot” of gratefulness going around as recorded in the gospel of Luke.

And that’s the secret of the Eucharist; there is so much gratitude/gratefulness in the Eucharist that we become inspired and unified as one Body in our commitment to share gratefully the gifts we have been given. All are a grateful Body of Christ, Corpus Christi.

Now, the institution of this feast has roots in Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, Thursday of Holy Week. That’s what St. Paul is telling us in the Epistle, First Corinthians. In 1264 the original celebration of Corpus Christi was observed on Thursday after Trinity Sunday, nine weeks after Holy Thursday. It’s a way to recall the institution of the Eucharist with some relief and distance from the pending doom of the crucifixion that happened on Good Friday.

In great part, the feast of Corpus Christi which recalls the institution of the Eucharist is due to St. Juliana of Liege. Having had a vision she dedicated her entire life to establish the feast. She made her religious profession in 1206 and in 1230 became the Superior of her Order but was run out by her sisters because of her too devout practices toward the Eucharist. She became friends with James Pantaleon, an important pastor in Liege and who later became Pope Urban IV. In 1246 the church leaders of Liege proclaimed the feast, but the bishop there died and St. Juliana was again exiled. She died in 1258 still in exile and was thought to be too eccentric about the Eucharist. But her friend vindicated her holiness and her vision to celebrate a feast dedicated to the Body of Christ. That friend was James Pantaleon Pope Urban IV who established the feast in 1264 and became universally accepted and celebrated by 1300.

St. Thomas Aquinas who was a contemporary of St. Juliana (1225-1274) seems to have contributed a number of Eucharistic hymns or improved on existing ones. In 1970 our Roman Missal augmented the title to include the Precious Blood. Hence, we have the feast name: “The Body and Blood of Christ.”

The fact remains, though, that we are a body of grateful people, the Body of Christ, because Christ was grateful enough to make us members of Himself, through the grateful giving of His Body and Blood for our salvation and for the unification of all humankind. As one with Christ we become a perfect offering, a grateful offering to the Father. In turn we are grateful to include all humanity in our expression of thanks to Almighty God; that expression is the Eucharist; the Body of Christ, which we offer in the next step of this Mass.

I conclude with some ancient but ever timely words, taken from Eucharistic Hymns known by St. Juliana, improved by St. Thomas Aquinas and still sung today. These hymns celebrate the mystery and reality of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist and in each other.

“Come adore this wondrous presence,
bow to Christ the source of grace. Here
is kept the ancient promise, of God’s
earthly dwelling place. Sight is blind
before God’s glory. Faith Along may see
His (Eucharistic) face.” Tatum Ergo)

or

Humbly let us voice our homage for so
great a sacrament. Let all former rites
surrender to the Lord’s New Testament.
What our sense fail to fathom, let us
grasp through faith’s consent.” (Tatum Ergo)

and

“We adore you Christ the living Bread . . .
veiled in outward sign; yet deeper reality
beyond the bread, You are there . . .You
become one in us and we are one in You
. . . What my body and soul desires, deny
not to me, union with you and neighbor,
threaded together through mystery.
Mystical Body, You and I, and we for all
eternity.” Amen. (Adorote Devote)

Fr. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

Today we celebrate a sense of mystery about God; three persons, one God.

The Holy Trinity is described by theologians as a strict mystery. A strict mystery means that it is a central dogma in Christian Theology. We profess and we believe that there are three persons in one God and that the Father creates, the Son redeems, and that the Spirit is sustaining the energy and love of the Father and the Son. It is a strict mystery in that it cannot be known by human reason apart from being revealed. That means it must be disclosed by God. Nor can the mystery of the Trinity be scientifically explained after it has been revealed. That is why we call it a mystery, a religious mystery in its fullest sense. On the other hand the complexity of the Trinity is not contrary to the principles of rational   thought.   The   Trinity   is   not   contrary to reason. The Trinity cannot be explained by the scientific method.

The word “Trinity” is not itself found in sacred scripture. It is implied. It is a deduction from the scriptures. We understand from reading the scriptures that the Father is known by reason of the activity of creation. The Son is known by reason of the activity of redemption. The Spirit is known by reason of the activity of sustaining the love and action of the Father and the Son. The love and action of the Father, Son, and Spirit are known through the accounts of the Book of Genesis all the way through to the Book of Revelation. The Trinity is specifically noted at the end of the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus addressed His disciples in these words:

“Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 28: 18-20].

In 180 ad. a Catholic Christian known as Theophilous of Antioch coined the word Trinity. In 400 ad. St. Augustine wrote a great treatise called De Trinitate, On the Trinity. In that treatise, using the classical thinking of Aristotle, Augustine compared the Holy Trinity to human relationships: God the Father, for all eternity looked out and saw His reflection. The reflection of Himself is the Son. The Son  looked  back  at  the  Father  and  the  love and relationship they both had is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. To help even more, St. Augustine described the Trinity as analogous to a married couple. The man looks out, sees the woman as his reflection. The woman looks back at the man and sees herself as part of him. They both see their children in each other. The children are the result of the love and active concern that the father has toward the mother and the mother toward the father. The children are the Spirit of the father and the mother. It is no wonder that parents often say to their children, “You are just like your father, or, you are just like your mother.” Similarly, God, the Blessed Trinity can be explained by the analogy of the father, mother and child.

The Book of Proverbs describes a beautiful relationship of God the Son with God the Father. “From of old I was poured forth [from the Father] and I found delight in the Human race.” Paul’s Letter to the Romans describes  the  love  and  action  of the Trinity for us. We can have peace in God, through Jesus, and be sustained in that peace and love through the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Gospel of John, Jesus promises that although His mission in the world is complete and He must return to the Father. The Holy Spirit will guide all new believers into a full expression of living and loving as Jesus did.

I guess one of the most inspiring and interesting stories of the Trinity comes from St. Patrick, when in front of the pagan high priests and the Irish people he explained the Trinity by example of the Shamrock. “One little stem, three leaves. The three leaves are intricately connected to each other.” You cannot have a Shamrock without the three leaves  We cannot have Trinity without the three persons in one God.

More than anything we want to think and wonder this weekend. We want to stop and think and wonder about the fathomless creativity of the Father, the depths of redemption of the Son, and the limitless, wise mentoring of the Spirit.

So we pray:  Thank you God the Father for creating us. Jesus Saviour, thank you for redeeming us. Spirit of the Father and the Son, thank you for sustaining us in the ways of the Father and the Son. Praise the Holy Trinity, Undivided Unity, Holy God, Mighty God, God Immortal be Adored.

Amen.

Fr. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

With regard to celebrating the feast of our Lord’s Ascension, the fortieth day after Easter, the following ecclesiastical Provinces still maintain the celebration on the proper Thursday: Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia. The Province of Ohio, that is the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and its suffragin sees of Toledo, Cleveland, Youngstown, Steubenville, and Columbus celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Exceptions to this rule would apply to those congregations united with Rome and united to the local Latin Rite Ordinary who have indults to celebrate on Thursday, the 40^th day after Easter, in accord with their own approved calendars of celebrations.

We profess in the Creed each Sunday that Christ ‘ascended into heaven.’ Those words are found in the Acts of the Apostles 1: 1-12, as read in today’s Mass. After 40 days of miraculous appearances, the Lord Jesus, risen from the dead, prepares the apostles for His departure, the eventual coming of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church with its mission to  continue  the  saving  works of Jesus. It is noted in the Acts of the Apostles that the followers of Jesus were returning to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives [Acts 1: 12] where the Ascension took place. On the other hand, St. Luke 24: 50 records that Jesus ascended on the evening of  Easter Sunday which implies in God’s mind that there is no time frame for these holy events and that there are several human perceptions of the one paschal mystery; several perceptions of the death, resurrection, ascension, and descent of the Holy Spirit. Be that as it may, the completed paschal mystery of Jesus, which is our redemption, means that Jesus is exalted beyond death, reigns above this world in His Ascension, and the church is born and continues the work of Jesus by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The early church concludes that there was one process of redemption, the Lord’s Paschal Mystery but that many of the early Christians were allowed miraculously, to experience Christ’s one redemption in different time frames. Consequently, we have one account of the Ascension in Acts of the Apostles, and another in Luke’s gospel.

There are ancient ideas of exaltation or ascension that come from early Judaism as in the legends of Moses, Elijah, Enoch and Isaiah being taken to heaven. In the New Testament the idea of ascension and exaltation is found in Ephesians 4: 8-10; Hebrews 4: 14, 6: 20, 7: 26, 8: 1; I Peter 3: 22; and I Timothy 3: 16.

For us Catholic-Christians the solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension marks the close of the post-Resurrection appearances; that Christ’s humanity is in heaven where Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, that is, God the Son takes His place with God the Father.

Alongside with the accounts in Scripture there are many early artistic renderings of the ascension that are found in mosaics and icons dating back to 100 and 150 ad. And until 1970 the paschal candle was extinguished after the reading of the gospel to emphasize the physical absence of Jesus who had gone home to the Father. We do not extinguish the paschal candle (since 1970) to indicate that Easter is celebrated for 50 days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday which means that the light, the splendor, and glory of the paschal mystery does not end with the Ascension, but continues into Pentecost, into the fire of the Holy Spirit descending like tongues of flame on the Apostles and Our Blessed Lady.

But many ask why? Why did He leave us? Thomas Aquinas and many, many good theologians have told us that Jesus left us, left His believers, so that His redemption would take hold of the human race, according to the natural laws of the earth. That means that Jesus is not imposing His redemption, His Kingdom, His rule on all of us all at once. But slowly, generation after generation, through the natural disclosure of everyday teaching of the catechism, the gospels, and the celebration of the sacraments, each new generation of human beings has the freedom to choose Jesus. It is said by some of the saints that when the world wakes up and embraces Jesus as Lord, Saviour, Son of God, and Redeemer of humanity; when Jesus can be found in the minds, hearts and souls of humanity and proclaimed by us in our words and actions, that Jesus is our salvation and that He is unique, that is, one Lord, one Saviour, one Baptism, one Church, one way to the one God and Father of us all, then, possibly it will be time for Christ to return. But in the meantime, Christ asks us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him, to proclaim the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth. Christ has removed Himself from the earth, not to abandon us, but to allow us to choose Him, freely, generation after generation in keeping with the laws of nature and our freedom. We choose Jesus not because we are forced to choose Him, but because He is our hope, the answer to this life and the answer to Life after life.

So we pray:  Lord Jesus, risen and ascended, you took You’re your place at the right hand of the Father, not to abandon us, but to be our hope in this life and in the Life to come. Strengthen our hope in You. Help us to follow your example of living and loving in this world so that we may live and love supremely well in the next world, where You live, Lord Jesus, forever and ever.  Amen.

Rev. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

There is a book out there entitled, “The Road Less Traveled,” by M. Scott Peck, who is an Episcopal Priest and a fully degreed psychiatrist. Fr. Peck begins his book with the sentence, “Life is Difficult.” There are two things to learn from his opening sentence. 1) Once we accept that life is difficult, life is much more manageable and not so difficult. 2) Those who always think that life should not be difficult will always find that it is. The question arises, a) do we want to live by wisdom and manage life, or b) do we want to live by deceiving ourselves?

An acquaintance of mine was in the practice of helping the elderly priests in a Benedictine Monastery in Indiana. He was careful to help a particularly old priest. One day as my friend was wheeling the old priest to chapel, the old priest became vocal and scolded the young priest, “Young man you forgot my false teeth, I have the wrong size t-shirt on under this habit, and I’m about to die.” And the old priest did. The young priest was shocked and later told me rather pessimistically, “So much for good deeds; they never go unpunished.” Life is difficult.

I believe it is our desire to accept the fact that life is difficult. Things, often, never turn out the way we want. But once we accept that life is difficult, life is much more manageable and not so difficult as it might first seem. And, to manage life is the way of wisdom. It is also the way of truth.

Wisdom and truth. Wisdom is understanding. Understanding reveals truth. The truth about this visible creation is that it’s not easy; it’s tough; it’s not fair; it’s sinful; it’s competitive to a degrading degree; it has no respect for those involved in the game of life. But there is another side of truth, taught by Jesus, and supported by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s truth about visible creation is that it has been overcome and is manageable by Jesus, with Jesus, and in Jesus because Jesus has conquered this world. That’s wisdom. That’s truth.

I have a friend who was stationed in Iraq. When he was there, every new neighborhood, every new street in the neighborhood, every building on the street presented a challenge of terrorism. He saw few men live and he saw many die. Sleep was impossible. Each soldier had to be on his guard all the time. The man resorted to his Catholic religion to sustain himself.  “If Jesus could look at all this evil squarely in the eye and change it, so can I,” he said. Through the power of the Holy Spirit the soldier’s wisdom grew deeper and he grasped the truth of his Catholic-Christian faith; that Christ has conquered even the most frightening and heinous evil. Once he understood wisdom and truth the soldier had peace, not the world’s peace which offers escape, but the peace of Jesus which is the peace of conquest, the peace of looking evil in the eye and saying “no” to it. In his heart of hearts he knew that Jesus was with him, would guard him, and ease his fears. The soldier would pray, “what would Jesus think about this; how would He manage it; how would Jesus keep calm and find peace.” The soldier’s actions boil down to an inner strength of wisdom, truth, and peace. Did everything work out picture perfect each day? “No,” said the soldier. “I expected difficulty each day, but together we managed.” “Together?” I asked, “what does that mean?” “Jesus and me,” he said, “together, Jesus and me.” That soldier had an inner strength that was Jesus who gave him wisdom, truth, and peace.

So we pray:  Dear Lord, “Life is Difficult.” From the moment we are born to the moment we die; from the moment we rise from bed to the moment we retire for sleep; from the moment people enter into our lives, loved ones and adversaries alike, to the moment they leave, life is a struggle. Let us not be  afraid  of  the  struggle as You Lord were not afraid of Your struggle. Despite our pain, shame, and hurts give us Your Holy Spirit, Your wisdom to discern Your truth in our lives and so find true and everlasting peace, Your peace, Lord Jesus. A prayer we make in the name of Christ who lives forever and ever.   Amen.

Rev. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

Before this Sunday’s gospel, we last heard about a charcoal fire located in the courtyard of the high priest, where Jesus was being interrogated. It is at that charcoal fire that St. Peter denies the Lord three times. “Surely,” said the maid servant to Peter, “You know this Jesus of Nazareth?” “No, I do not,” spoke Peter. A second time the question was asked of Peter, if he didn’t know Jesus? “I do not,” said Peter. A third time the question is put to Peter, “You know this man, Jesus, don’t you?” A third time Peter denies knowing Jesus. The rooster crows and Peter weeps bitterly. Peter loses his self confidence and loses faith in himself as well as in Jesus. Consequently, Peter is not at the crucifixion and remains in hiding. Peter is, however, at the tomb of the Lord Jesus having run to the burial place with John. But Peter is silent. When Jesus appears to the twelve in the upper room, Peter is not mentioned. Peter’s faith is silent, silent, silent. When St. John, in his gospel, mentions the charcoal fire, located in the courtyard of the high priest in Jerusalem, near the temple, a story is beginning. A “Semetic inclusion” is a story within a story. St. John is telling us a small story about St. Peter, squeezed within a greater story, the gospel story of Jesus. The Semitic inclusion begins at the charcoal fire. Three questions are proposed to Peter. Peter denies the Lord three times. Time passes. Peter’s story is simple but sadly profound. Peter is altogether mortified, sickened, sad, and without faith in himself and his silence indicates that he cannot muster the once strong faith in Jesus. The story about Peter is relatively short. Silence by Peter and about Peter tells the reader that something is wrong with Peter. Something is helpless and hopeless in Peter.

The “Semitic inclusion,” our “story within a story” concludes with a second charcoal fire and three questions. Jesus poses three questions to St. Peter. Do you love me more than these other disciples? Do you love me, Peter? Do you love me? Each time Peter answers affirmatively. Jesus responds to each affirmative answer with a commission: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.”

If the Lord Jesus did not believe in Peter, there would have been no commission. As it is, in this little story placed with the greater gospel story, Jesus has restored Peter to Faith, Faith in himself (Peter), and Faith in his Saviour (Jesus). Peter who is lost is found. Peter who is hopeless has been restored to belief. Peter who is dying for lack of faith now lives with faith renewed. Peter who was silent and not doing much of anything, except fishing, now has his life turned around. Christ makes him Prince of the Apostles, that is, first of the apostles, and leader of the apostles. In his “primacy” Peter is instructed to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, and feed the sheep. The instruction by Christ has overtones of celebrating the Eucharist and preaching the good news. To no other apostle was such a commission given.

But the meaning of the Semetic inclusion does not end with Peter. As with last week’s gospel reading, there is a personal application to the little story. It is as if the writer of the story, St. John, is calling us aside and explaining that Peter’s faith story is also our faith story. Peter’s restoration to belief and self confidence is our restoration to belief and self confidence. What he goes through we will go through.

So we pray: Lord, when we are lost and without faith, find us. When we are without direction and feel hopeless, restore our direction and hope in You. Lord when we are dying for lack of faith and conviction, give us confidence to believe in You, and in ourselves, and help us to share the good news of Christ’s everlasting care for us. Lord Jesus, bring us back to faith in You today, and everyday of our lives. Amen.

Rev. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH

The formal name for this Sunday is the “Second Sunday of Easter.” Two older, popular names for this Sunday are, first, “Low Sunday,” so called to help highlight the “high” feast of Easter, which is the preeminent feast in the Church calendar. The second is “Quasi Modo Sunday,” so called because those words are taken from today’s Introit. The two words mean, “as to the manner.” The Introit reads, “Crave as to the manner of new born babes, pure spiritual milk.” The more popular name for this Sunday, so instituted by Pope John Paul, is Divine Mercy Sunday. The popular title of this day complements the formal title in terms of the readings, especially the gospel.

Three actions are communicated through the gospel, 1) the action of peace; 2) the action of power to forgive sin; and 3) the action of coming to belief in Jesus. We use the word action because the God revealed by Jesus is not static in concern for us, but active. God is communicating His great generosity in all three actions.

1) We will never have true and lasting peace unless it is initiated and instituted by a power beyond human power. During this Paschal Tide, during this Easter Season, the invitation to join in celebrating the Lord’s suffering, death, and resurrection is also an invitation to know and experience the divine peace that comes from Jesus, being baptized into Christ’s Paschal Mystery and living that mystery, living for others and for God. When we move “out of ourselves” in the action of love and service for God and neighbor we find our messianic peace that Christ announces today in the words, “Peace be with you.” God’s peace is always “true” peace. God’s peace is always serving and loving the “other.” It is not feuding or at war with the “other.” True peace performs the action of “building-up” each other. False peace performs the action of “tearing down” each other.

2) To forgive sin means to give the offender the
freedom to leave the sin, leave the offense and grow into constructive, life-giving patterns. Forgiveness, like peace, needs to be instituted by a power beyond human power. That’s why God chose Jesus to lead the way. Jesus institutes formal, divine forgiveness. Not all cultures societies or nation states believe in divinely founded forgiveness. Without forgiveness, true and divine, we are stuck in our sins with no hope of recovery, no hope of improving. Keeping us in our sins is a human trait. Forgiving sins is a divine trait.

3) The third action conveyed to us by Jesus is the
dynamic of coming to belief in Jesus. This is perhaps the most important action of today’s gospel. If we believe in the person of Jesus, that He is who He says He is, the divine Son of God, crucified, dead, and risen, then the understanding of peace and forgiveness, the practice of peace and forgiveness, and the experience of knowing peace and forgiveness will follow. We must all some day say with Thomas the Apostle in complete belief, “My Lord and My God.”

When Pope John Paul made his appearance in Poland for the first time as Pope, he visited with messages of peace, forgiveness, and belief. The then ruling military leader, Jeruzalski, a puppet for the Soviet Union, questioned under what credentials the Pope would visit Poland and why come with messages of peace, forgiveness, and belief? Poland had all those things through the Soviet Union. Pope John Paul responded, “I have these messages from a power beyond human power. They are divinely begun, divinely sustained, and divinely brought to fulfillment.” The Pope also stated that these three messages are too important to be left in the management of mere mortals. What we speak in these three actions are timeless, eternal, and of God. The Polish Geneal simply shook in fear when he heard the words of the Pope. When asked by his Soviet superiors why he shook so much in the presence of the Pope, Jeruzalski answered, “It’s pretty tough to compete with God.”

Let us Pray: Lord God, through Your Son You have given us peace, forgiveness, and belief. Make us ever thankful for the mercies you extend us through Your divine gifts and help us to live in Your peace, practice your forgiveness, and believe in You. Amen.

Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI
for Divine Mercy Sunday

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of peace, forgiveness, and fullness of belief for all the world. Amen.

Rev. A. J. Geraci
St. Paul Church
Yellow Springs, OH