We begin every liturgy invoking the name of the Trinity and we are sent forth from here with a blessing from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God, yet three persons, shapes every aspect of our faith from liturgy to concerns about social justice. God’s presence as Trinity is meant to remind us that there is much more to God than we can ever know.

This brings to mind the story of six blind men. They had never encountered an elephant before, so when one came into their village, they were very curious. When they had surrounded the elephant, each blind man spent time feeling a particular section of the huge elephant.

The first blind man felt the elephant’s side. Broad and very solid. “This feels like a wall!” The second blind man stepped forward and felt a tusk. Round, smooth, hard and pointed. “Ouch! Why this feels like a spear!” The third blind man approached the elephant from the front and immediately bumped into the trunk. As he handled it, the trunk squirmed. He jumped back since he was very afraid of snakes.

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The name and timing of Pentecost is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. The Jewish Feast of Pentecost was a celebration of the harvest of the first fruits. In the Book of Leviticus, we are told that Pentecost fell fifty days after the Sabbath following the Passover. It was a festival celebrating the harvest and thanking God for providing them with food. The Jewish Feast of Pentecost was a time when crowds would flock to Jerusalem and the Temple.

It was on this Jewish Feast of Pentecost that God did something totally unexpected and new for the followers of Jesus. On the day of his Ascension Jesus instructed the Apostles to go back to Jerusalem and wait and pray, where they would “be clothed with power from on high,” and would receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t tell them how long they were to wait and pray. I wonder what thoughts they had as they gathered each day in the upper room to pray, when nothing extraordinary seemed to happen. Most likely there was some uncertainty, but their experience of being with the risen Lord the previous forty days undoubtedly strengthened their faith and gave them a new confidence in listening to the Lord’s words.

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Today’s Gospel takes us back to the Last Supper. We heard the opening lines of Jesus’ last talk with His closest followers before his arrest. If you had listened even with your hearing aid turned down to low, you would have detected no anxiety or fears in him. Clearly Jesus is not running scared.

This is incredible. Keep in mind that Jesus knows Judas will soon betray him. He sees his fast approaching crucifixion with its dreadful pain. Yet he is circled in majesty. Jesus is the original Mr. Cool. He does need blood pressure pills. This is not a prisoner sitting in a death row cell ready to eat the traditional last meal. Rather, John portrays Jesus as a King hosting a lavish victory banquet. In the first two sentences of today’s Gospel, we heard the word glorify mentioned five times. Does this sound like a man who feels that He is defeated? Quite the contrary! …

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One of the better-known works of ancient Greek literature is the epic poem, Odyssey, written by Homer, which describes the voyage of a man named Odysseus. In one episode, he has to pass through a body of water between Sicily and Italy, known as the Straits of Messina. Passing through there poses two dangers to all sailors.

One is the rocky coastline. If a sailor comes too close to shore, his craft could run aground on the rocks, which would destroy his boat and endanger the crew. But if he stays too far from the shore, there was an even greater danger, a whirlpool that could consume the entire ship. …

4th Sunday of EasterRead More »

Five times in this gospel, the word “tomb” is mentioned. When we think of tombs, we often think of graves, 6 feet deep; final resting places that are forever sealed when the first spade of dirt is tossed in. Once the ground has been covered, the body is rarely removed. In ancient Israel, tombs were small caves, much like our mausoleums.

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and her companions come to the tomb of Jesus, never expecting to find it empty but that is what they discovered. Nor did they expect to encounter two men in dazzling white who said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has been raised.” Recalling all that Jesus had told them, they returned from the tomb to tell the apostles, who understandably did not believe them. Nonetheless, Peter ran to the tomb and saw for himself that something wasn’t right. …

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