He Is Risen

We've now reached the pinnacle of our Christian calendar! Easter has arrived in all its splendour and fanfare. The Resurrection, Christ's bursting from the tomb; it is the core of our affirmation of faith, the heart of our Christian message of good news.

But does the celebration of life over death have a wider resonance? Does it point towards a common facet of the human spirit - the refusal to let death have the last word?
 

At funerals the liturgy that we follow – that affirmation of life after death, is inexorably intertwined with the celebration of birth. It’s actually an Easter liturgy. And rather than a liturgy of despair, it is an affirmation of Christ’s promise to be with us ‘always, to the end of time.’ But why is it that we do not look at death with the same sense of celebration as we do a birth? Our natural life rhythms seem to be denied.

In Moldova, more and more children arrive in our homes, these are the lucky ones - those who either escaped the clutches of their traffickers, or were simply left abandoned or discarded as 'unsaleable.' Yet not even a ripple is made in the news from where they originated. These children were the detritus of society, and their life or death means little or nothing to anyone. And each day governments diligently work to obfuscate the truth of countless innocent women, children, babies, and elderly dying in Ukraine's senseless war. Again, just like a replay of Iraq, their numbers are being hidden in buffering euphemisms such as ‘collateral damage.’

And in hospitals, nursing facilities, and our private homes, people who have had long journeys, are breathing shallow breaths, still holding on to the essence of life, for just a few more minutes, before they begin their new journey.

Throughout our human story, death remains the enemy. It is never welcomed; it is always looked upon as a curse or an affront to life.

As Christians we draw upon our faith in life beyond the grave from the events of Easter. That life beyond, that renewal, powerfully draws us away from the grave and invites us to live our lives knowing that it will never end in destruction. Instead our lives have a resonance and meaning that our mortal death cannot touch.

The human spirit shares two powerful spiritual emotions: First it is the awareness of what is passing away. The other is the awareness of a new life that lies on the other side of pain and struggling.

And perhaps we’ve become a little wiser, recognising that resurrection, whether in this world or the next, is never a simple return to the lost innocence of Eden.The ingredients of the new life are a culmination of the painful and costly struggles in which we engage every day.

This is why, according to our Christian teachings, when Jesus rose from the dead, there were still wounds in His hands and side. They’re reminders of what He gave for us, for our salvation, for our sins, so that we may live again.

Wherever you may be on our great and fragile planet, may you always walk with the Risen Christ within you.

Praise Christ Jesus!

Christ Jesus, help us never to forget that Your risen presence is forever with us.

That You are with us in every time of sorrow to comfort and to console;

That You are with us in every time of temptation to strengthen and to inspire;

That You are with us in every time of loneliness to cheer and to befriend;

That You are with us even in death to guide us through the shadows to new birth

Strengthen our faith that we may always know there is nothing in time or in eternity which can separate us from You,

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Amen

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Írásos Bill atya gyűjteményéből. Imádkozunk az egészsége. LR

It Is Finished

‘It is finished.’ According to John’s passion story, the last words that Jesus said on the cross before He bowed his head and gave up the spirit was ‘It is Finished.’

An Orthodox priest in the Ukraine once reminded me of the original Greek word that Jesus spoke. He explained that it was just one word; ‘tetelestai,’ or to be accurate to the Greek letter 'τετέλεσται.'

Several years ago biblical scholars gained considerable more insight when archaeologists excavated in the Holy Land, a tax collector's office that was almost completely intact, with all the tax records and notations.

There were two stacks of records. One of them had the word, ‘τετέλεσται’ on the top. In other words, ‘paid in full.’ These people no longer owe anything.

So, when Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ He is saying that the debt we owe God by our sins has been paid in full.

The Jews of Jesus' time saw sin as a debt that was owed to God - a debt that must somehow be repaid. Jesus used that kind of language and often spoke of sin as debt and forgiveness as a cancellation of debt.

He told the parable of the unforgiving servant. The servant owed a debt to his master. But his master forgave the debt because he knew his servant had no way to repay him. But the servant who had just received such a kind and compassionate act from his master, refused to share the same kindness with one of his fellow servants who owed him a small debt. Rather than forgiving the debt as his master had done, the servant demanded that his fellow servant repay the debt, despite the hardship it caused.

This is how we’ve learned that when we’re forgiven by God we must, in turn, forgive our neighbour. He taught us to pray ‘Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us’ which simply means ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ Jesus clearly used the language of commerce to speak of the spiritual relationship between God and us and between us and our neighbour. So on the cross He says ‘tetelestai’ - ‘It is paid in full.’ Our sins have been completely forgiven. It is finished.

As we focus our eyes upon the cross today, may we be reminded of the incalculable debt Christ paid for our sins.
Christ our Lord, we adore You and we praise You; because by Your Holy Spirit You have redeemed the world. AmenÍrásos Bill atya gyűjteményéből. Imádkozunk az egészsége. LR

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He That Follows Me Walks Not In Darkness

Today is Holy Saturday: Sabbatum Sanctum. Jesus is dead and buried, and lies in the tomb.

 

I prepare breakfast for the children, realising that today will be quiet and a time for reflection, as we move towards tomorrow's joy and celebration.

At the time of Jesus’ death there were many who waited by the cross expecting Him to be rescued. In fact, there were many who refused to believe He had actually died.

But the story of Easter is not theatrics. Without a real death there would be no real resurrection. It would just be another fantasy story. And the pain and suffering would never be believable.

The time we spend in church this evening serves as an important time for us to reflect upon the reality of Christ’s death. And it’s a time when we might reflect upon our own mortality.

Tonight, the Paschal candle that burns represents Christ, the light of the world: ‘I am the light of the world. He that follows me walks not in darkness.’ The beeswax, of which the candle is made, represents the sinless Christ, who was formed in the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity, the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and body. There are five grains of incense inserted into the candle in the form of a cross. They recall the aromatic spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands, feet, and side.

The vigil, which will begin in darkness, representing sin and death, is enlightened by the fire and the candle representing ‘Lumen Christi,’ the Light of Christ. The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, the community of believers, is led from spiritual darkness to the light of His truth. Christ's baptism, which our own baptism imitates, is represented during the liturgy, by the blessing of the water of baptism, by immersing the candle representing His Body into the font. We recall the Apostle's Creed, ‘He descended unto the dead.’

Today is a day where we are suspended between two worlds: that of darkness, sin and death, and that of the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of the World.

During the liturgy we recall God's sparing of the Hebrews, whose doors were marked with the blood of the lamb; we are sprinkled with the blessed water by which we were cleansed from original sin through Christ's sacrifice, and we repeat our baptismal vows, renouncing Satan and all his works.

We rejoice at Christ's bodily resurrection from the darkness of the tomb; and we pray for our passage from death into eternal life, from sin into grace, from the weariness and infirmity of old age to the freshness and vigour of youth, from the anguish of the Cross to peace and unity with God, and from this sinful world unto our Father in Heaven.

Our Easter candle is a reminder of the Risen Redeemer 'who shining in light left the tomb.' It is lighted each day during Mass throughout the Paschal season until Ascension Thursday.

Today is a day for us to reflect. It is a time to rest and prepare for His resurrection. As we offer our own private prayers and supplications, let us hold in our hearts all who have left us this year, especially through the cruelty of mankind. And we pray for those whose lives are in the balance, as they move from this world to the next.

If we have died with Him, tomorrow, as He promised us, we shall indeed see the new light of Christ.

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I am the resurrection and the life. He who believeth in me shall live, even though he dies; and whosoever lives and believeth in me shall have ever lasting life. John 11:25-26

 

 

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Tre Ore, The Three Hours

Tre Ore, the ‘Three Hours’ is the name of the solemn service we attend now, this Good Friday, from noon until 3pm. During this time we meditate on the Seven Last Words of Christ, the seven utterances Jesus delivered from the cross, which are selected from the Four Gospels:

1. ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’
2. ‘Truly I say unto you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
3. ‘Woman, behold your son! ... Behold, your Mother.’
4. ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’
5. ‘I thirst.’
6. ‘It is finished.’ (Tetelestai or τετέλεσται)
7. ‘Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.’
 
Cursed, beaten and forced to carry His own cross, Christ’s crucifixion on ‘Good Friday’, is the blackest day in Christian history.

There are many opinions about the origins of the term Good Friday. Some scholars argue that the word ‘Good’ is an abbreviation of ‘God.’ And early Christians commemorated the sad event by calling it ‘God's Friday.’ Others claim that ‘good’ signifies the bounty of blessings we’ve received through salvation itself, that Christ won for humankind in His sacrifice.

Good Friday leads us to focus on the death of the innocent. Perhaps as we pray today we will reflect on the crucifixion and will be aware, perhaps uncomfortably, of a resonance between the unjust death of Jesus and the many unjust deaths in our world.

We're all still profoundly shocked over the appalling loss of lives in Israel, Palestine, and Darfur, as well as the continued murder, abuse and torture of innocent people across Ukraine.  Russian operatives are deliberately targeting children in playgrounds across the Eastern regions and coastal towns of Ukraine, with drones, in a deadly game called 'Human Safari.'

Actions such as these repulse us on every conceivable level. The events are tragic enough without the grotesque marketing of horror by the news media.

We’ve become so accustomed to media interviewers sticking microphones into the faces of those whose loved ones have been unjustly killed, and asking "what do you feel?" This always seems so perverse and tasteless - we know what the injured must feel, and it seems cheap to expose their feelings of outrage and hostility just for our entertainment. And yet perhaps we want the interviewer to ask, because we’ve come to believe that only by expressing hatred the living can do justice to the innocent dead. We crave for the bereaved to be angry and implacable.

We even use religion to sanctify these feelings. In medieval times Good Friday was a day when Christian mobs assaulted the Jews because the Gospels said their ancestors were to blame for the death of Jesus. But if that is what Good Friday is about then The Christian Church is no better than the mobs.

The point of this day is not that Christians become incited about the Crucifixion and vow to destroy Christ’s enemies. It’s a day for repentance and worship.

What does that say to the innocent deaths in Syria, Moldova, Ukraine, America, Sudan, and all the other personal horrifying murders we know about and mourn for? Is it only the bereaved who must speak for the dead? What would happen if the dead came back and spoke for themselves? And what does it say about those who had killed them, about us? Would they come back in spirit? Would they return seeking revenge, or would they bring us a message of forgiveness and reconciliation from God?

It’s an important question, because on Good Friday Christianity calls us to see death - all death - through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. The dead are gathered into Christ in their dying and the Christian hope is that they are given back to us in His resurrection.

When Jesus returned from death He came both bearing the marks of the cross, and bringing the forgiveness of sins. He offered the same peace to those who loved Him and to those who had betrayed Him. Could we allow the innocent dead to bring us peace this Easter?

Christ, our Lord, our world is in darkness. Without You all our hopes and dreams, and all that we are, and all that we are yet to be, becomes nothing. Come into us Lord Christ, our Saviour, so that we may be filled with Your Holy light. Amen

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Írásos Bill atya gyűjteményéből. Imádkozunk az egészsége. LR

This Is The Bread Of Our Affliction

Right now, throughout the world, people are busily cleaning their homes. They’ve cleared all yeast-based foods from the fridge and pantry and the dining table is being set with the finest dinnerware and cutlery. Small pillows may be placed at each dining chair. And throughout the house, the most wonderful aromas fill the air.

At the dining table there will be a special plate. It will display six symbolic items: egg, parsley, horseradish, lettuce, a shank bone and a mixture of honey, nuts, and fruit called ‘Haroset.’

As the sun sets this evening, the eight-day holiday of Passover will begin. Tonight, family and friends will gather together for their celebration dinner called ‘Seder.’ It’s a time to give thanks to G-d* for all that is good in this world.

The celebration of Passover commemorates the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and their escape from slavery to freedom. As they fled across the Red Sea, they consumed unleavened bread.

The Seder celebration has special meaning for children. There will be great animation from the adults and their actions will help to inspire the children to ask questions. The youngest child will be asked four questions.

Why do we eat matzoh (unleavened) bread at our Seder?
Matzoh reminds us that as we left the slavery of Egypt we had no time to bake bread. So we took dough with us and baked it in the desert and it turned to a hard cracker called Matzoh.

Why do we eat bitter herbs (horseradish and lettuce), called ‘maror’ at our Seder?

Maror reminds us of how cruelly Jewish people were treated as slaves.

Why do we twice dip parsley in salt water and the bitter herbs into the fruit nuts and honey?
We dip the herbs into the Haroset as a reminder of how hard the Jewish slaves were forced to work. The fruit and nuts look like the clay used to make the bricks in building the Pharaoh’s palace.

We dip the parsley into salt water as a reminder of the tears that were shed by the Jewish slaves.

The parsley reminds us that spring has arrived and from spring new life will begin.
Why do we lean on a pillow during our dinner?The pillow is to make us comfortable and it serves as a lasting reminder that once we were in slavery, but now we are free.
Tonight, the book of Exodus (Haggadah) will be read at the table. Songs will be sung and prayers will be said. And families will give thanks for all that is good in their lives.

During Passover, people around the world work to connect with one another and share the joy of freedom.

Regardless of our faith, our nationality, our political affiliation, or the colour of our skin, each of us should have the right to live in freedom.


‘This is the bread of our affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt; let all those who are hungry enter and eat thereof, and all who are in distress, come...’ Haggadah: The Seder

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*I am always humbled when I receive a communication from one of my Jewish friends. When there is a reference made to God, a good Jew will always omit the ‘o’ from His name. It is directly related to the Ten Commandments; ‘Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain.’ It is believed that if the L-rd’s name was written on a sheet of paper and then the paper was mutilated or destroyed, it would then be considered a sin.