Shawn The Baptist - Sunday Scriptures

This is Our Feast of Victory

Everyone loves a good story. Some stories are just made up (see my previous post on the Clash of the Titans movie). Today we celebrate a story that is not only true, but the greatest story ever told. As the sequence for Mass sings, "Death and life fought bitterly for this wondrous victory. The Lord of Life who died, reigns glorified." As the popular Easter hymn sings, "This is the feast of victory for our God." It is also our feast of victory.

We all need a chance to be victorious. Perhaps this is why we love sports so much. We like the feeling of winning. Just imagine if the Royals won the World Series this year (it's April...we can still dream). It would be a victory all the sweeter because we in Kansas City know all about being down and out. As wonderful as it would be to have 1985 all over again, that victory would pale in comparison to the victory we celebrate today.

"Christ the lamb has saved the sheep." No one has ever been more down and out than the human race since the fall of Adam and Eve. Yet, God has continuously mounted a rescue mission. As he used a lamb at Passover to save the Hebrews in Egypt, so today he uses the Lamb of God to save us from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus truly died and was buried and is now raised from the dead. This is the greatest comeback story in history!

Today is our day to be excited and cheer that we are victorious. It is also Divine Mercy Sunday which reminds us that our sins need not get in the way of sharing in this victory. When Jesus appears to the apostles in the Gospel he still bears the wounds of the crucifixion, the mark of what our sins have done. Yet he comes not with condemnation, but reassurance for his apostles. "Peace be with you," he says. He says the same to us today. Our sins are lost in the ocean of his mercy and we sing the hymn of victory with the lamb.

"Christ the paschal lamb has been sacrificed, therefore let us keep the feast." This is our day of victory, a day won for us by the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad for the Lord is risen...indeed he is risen!

It's Easter! Now What?

Now that Eater is finally here, you might be wondering..."now what?" It would be easy to go back to our normal routines. That's what Peter appears to be doing in the gospel today. Not knowing exactly what to do with this news of resurrection, he decides to go back to fishing. For those of us born again in the new life of Easter, there really is no going back. May we have the love of St. John to recognize the Lord in our everyday life and may we have the zeal of St. Peter to jump into the sea when we find him. Nothing should separate us from the new life offered us by Jesus.

Christ the Lamb Has Saved the Sheep

Easter Sunday and the 8 days that follow (the Octave of Easter) give us a rare treat of an additional chant for Mass. Right before the Alleluia we have the chanting of what is known as a sequence (See the Catholic Encyclopedia article for all the details). Of the four sequences that are still in use in the modern form of the Mass, none is more famous than the Easter sequence, Victimae Paschali Laudes.

Today at Mass I talked through some of my favorite Easter themes found in the sequence. Below is an English translation and the audio of the homily:

Christians, praise the paschal victim!

Offer thankful sacrifice!

Christ the Lamb has saved the sheep,

Christ the just one paid the price,

Reconciling sinners to the Father.

Death and life fought bitterly

For this wondrous victory;

The Lord of life who died reigns glorified!

O Mary, come and say

what you saw at break of day.

“The empty tomb of my living Lord!

I saw Christ Jesus risen and adored!

Bright angels testified,

Shroud and grave clothes side by side!

Yes, Christ my hope rose gloriously.

He goes before you into Galilee.”

Share the good news, sing joyfully:

His death is victory!

Lord Jesus Victor King, show us mercy.

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Humility Leads to Healing

In today's first reading, Naaman the Syrian gives us all an example of what we need to do if we desire healing from God. Despite being a high ranking official, he has the humility to admit his weakness and seek help. He perseveres despite being rejected by the king of Israel, passed off to some lowly prophet who won't even come out to meet him, and then being told to literally go take a flying leap into the Jordan River. With a little help from his friends and great humility on his part, he gains the gift of healing he so desired.

The example of Naaman is a pattern for all of us to follow. Jesus even suggests him to us in today's gospel. If you want to be healed, you've got to recognize your need, be humble enough to seek out God through the means he has established in his Church, and then persevere. Jesus is waiting to heal us, but if we are too proud to come confess our sins, or think that we can do this on our own, then we will experience the sad scene of the gospel; Jesus will walk right through the midst of us and we will miss him.

For both St. Ignatius and Moses, becoming aware and asking "Why?" ultimately led them to an encounter with God. The same can be true for us.

Measure for Measure

Today's first reading from the prophet Daniel gives us a beautiful example of humility before God. When we humbly admit our sinfulness, it is then that God is able to show us his mercy. He would of course be just in condemning us, but Jesus instead teaches us that the Father is merciful. He then cautions us that, if we receive God's mercy and forgiveness, then we should also be merciful to our brothers and sisters. The measure with which we measure will be measured back to us. In other words, don't be stingy with showing mercy to others. What goes around comes around and we'd probably hope that God will be merciful in judging us. Let's do the same for those around us.