When I was growing up, the covers of Time magazine always featured someone who was newsworthy that week. One issue stood out, however, since the cover was black with the eye catching bold statement, “God is dead.”

That cover comes to mind when I hear Jesus say, “It is finished.” Then John tells us, “And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.” We hold the belief that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine; the two beings woven into one, the second person of the Trinity.  So, if the human person died on the cross, so did the divine.

We must not fictionalize or trivialize what happened on Calvary that day. Jesus really suffered more than any of us can imagine. Do not presume that being divine, he felt pain any less than we do. If anything, he suffered more intensely. Having seen the movie, The Passion, I winced at the pain he must have felt as the crown of thorns was placed on his head. I cringed with each flick of the whip that made his back flinch. I recoil as the large nails were pounded into his wrists and feet. John certainly doesn’t minimize the violence of Jesus’ crucifixion. …

Good FridayRead More »

One thing I never expected to witness this year was the price of gas dropping to less than $2/ gallon. I recall four decades ago when oil was in such short supply that we waited in long lines to fill up at the gas pumps. Not only did the price of gas really begin to climb but also the services we once took for granted quickly became things of the past. Today self-service is the norm and when we fill up, we rarely see an attendant, certainly not one who checks our tires and oil.

Neighborhood gas stations, as we once knew them, are a rare sight today. The very name, service station, strikes me as a misnomer; after all, self-service really means no service! With the use of ATM’s, vending machines, self-service cash registers, along with self-service gas stations, we have grown used to the notion of no service. How regrettable! We have programed ourselves to look only after our own needs and not necessarily the needs of others. …

Holy ThursdayRead More »

At the end of the First World War, Woodrow Wilson was an international hero. In Europe, he was greeted by cheering crowds who believed that this was the last war and now everything would be all right. The good will didn’t last long. At home, Wilson did not have the support he needed to carry out his vision for the League of Nations. His health began to decline. A man who had been declared a messiah by many came to the end of his days a broken and defeated man.

Wilson’s story was a sad one, but not all that unusual. The ultimate reward for someone who tries to translate ideals into reality is apt to be defeat. That seemed to be true for Jesus. …

Palm SundayRead More »

When my mother died, I was given a book entitled, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner, a Jewish rabbi.  One thing I learned from that book is that life is full of consequences. What happens to us can be a consequence of the choices we make and others make. My mother made poor health choices like smoking that led to a fatal heart attack at the young age of 65.

In Biblical times, people blamed tragic deaths on sin but Jesus criticizes this mindset: tragic death, illness or other misfortunes is not the result of sin. Sin, however, is always a choice we make, which result in consequences that we later regret. Thus, Jesus is quick to caution his listeners, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” …

3rd Sunday of LentRead More »

Today’s gospel of the Transfiguration is familiar to most of us since every year we hear this story on the Second Sunday of Lent. As I reflected on the text, the word, exodus, caught my attention. We usually associate that word with the journey of the Israelites across the Sinai so what did Luke mean here?

He doesn’t tell us what Moses, Elijah and Jesus discussed, other than that they “spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” That is, Jesus’ pending death. Luke hints that they talked so long, the apostles fell asleep, but upon awaking, they saw the glory of God and soon heard a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” …

2nd Sunday of LentRead More »