Easter – The Slow Process of Discovering Life before Your Very Eyes, Part 4

Fr. John Cusick, Director,
Young Adult Ministry - Arch.  of Chicago

He breathed on them. Why?

It has been over a week since Easter Sunday, and in our fast-paced world a lot has changed since then. Just listen to or watch the news.

Yet this past Sunday our Gospel reading (John, Chapter 20) began “on the evening of that first day of the week.” It was still resurrection day, Easter. It was still the first day of a new creation.  What does God create? Life.

So here we go again with more new life being revealed by the Risen Lord. This time the recipients are his disciples. The Gospel tells us that the door to the place where they were was locked because of the fear they felt.  We can all understand that. Their leader, teacher, mentor, rabbi, and Lord was killed. By process of elimination, who is next? They are! Lock those doors and keep them locked! They were living in fear for their own lives.

They are in a state of mental and spiritual paralysis. Fear can do that to people. They cannot dream. They cannot act on any of the wonderful ways of living for others that Jesus revealed to them. They are frozen in time. They see nothing to look forward to, and looking back is fueling their fear. For all practical purposes, life is over.

Even though the door was locked, Jesus stood in their midst. This is the resurrected Lord. He is no longer bound by space and time. Locked doors are no big deal. These disciples experienced Him standing right in the middle of their fear.  “Peace be with you,” He said.  One definition of the word “peace” is the healing of relationships. He wants them to be re-connected to all He was about, to all He taught them life to could be, to all he wanted them to be: fully alive! The fear has got to go. They (and we) must face the future and live for what can be, as He did, and continues to do.

To assist with that, the Gospel says, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Keep in mind that this is a creation story. In the story of creation in the Book of Genesis, how did our Creator God pour life into Adam? God breathed into him the Breath of Life.

Now the Risen Lord is doing the same. He is breathing into them this new life in God that does not end in physical death. They got it! Soon afterward they opened that door and headed back into the world. It was their turn to breathe this new life into others.

Guess what? As you read this, who is the recipient of that Breath of Life today? You are! If they stayed in fear, if they stayed behind that locked door, the resurrected life of Christ would never have been passed on by them.

Now it belongs to you. But the Lord’s life is not yours to keep. It is not a treasure or trophy. It must be given away.

So do some thinking today. To whom can you breathe the Lord’s life?  Who needs to be raised up – even if just a little?

Easter is an ongoing event. It is our call to live in such a way that people will see in our actions that each of our lives (and theirs, too, if they so choose) are destined to be everlasting. Nothing stops it. It can’t be killed. Even death has no power over it.

Aren’t we lucky?

Fr. John Cusick

Easter – The Slow Process of Discovering Life Before Your Very Eyes, Part 3

Fr. John Cusick

Have you ever been afraid? I mean really afraid? Have you ever lived in fear?

Sometimes fear is a reaction to what lies ahead – the unknown. But often fear inside of us is driven by something that has already happened to us. Many people who have really been burned in a relationship move into new relationships slowly. They don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Have you ever had an auto accident? When you get behind the wheel the next time, you tend to drive more slowly and are much more aware of everything around you and your car. Fear dictates that you are not going to make that mistake again (even if it wasn’t your fault).

Have you ever broken an arm, leg, ankle, collar bone or some other body part? You get the drift by now. The fear of that happening again will make you do as much as you can to avoid a “repeat.”

When Mary hurried back to Jesus’ disciples, she announced (can you see and hear her shouting?): "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him!" (John 20:2). At the announcement, “Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first.” (verse 3) What’s that all about? It’s the fear thing. Also, it is the love thing.


Peter was in no hurry. The other disciple, John, the one whom Jesus loved, was in a hurry.



In order to appreciate each of their reactions and responses to Mary’s announcement, you need to remember their last encounters with Jesus. Peter, warming his hands by the fire after Jesus was arrested, denied knowing Him. Here is the encounter from Luke's Gospel: Peter said, "I do not know what you are talking about." Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times."  He went out and began to weep bitterly. (Luke 22:61-62)  On the other hand, John, the one whom Jesus loved, was at the foot of the cross with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Love was in a hurry to experience the presence of the Lord again.



At Mary’s announcement, John (love) gets to the tomb first. Peter (fear) follows. Fear constrains. Love releases. Fear can paralyze us. It holds us to the past and we act in the future, fearfully reacting to and making decisions based on mistakes, problems and experiences of the past.

It is very hard to see new possibilities and new life always worrying about and reacting to the pain of the past. Living in love allows us the possibility of dreaming great dreams, seeing what can be and building our lives on those new possibilities. The fullness of life always lies ahead. Can you “see” that?


And remember, up to this point in John’s Gospel, no one - not Mary, Peter, or John - had experienced the Resurrected Lord Jesus. They were still living in the dark. John’s Gospel is laying out the strategy (it is still dark on the first day of the week) to make this happen."

So, a few questions for us to ponder...

• What have been your greatest fears? How has life changed because of them? Do those fears still have power over you?
• What are your greatest hopes? Have you ever experienced love? How has loved impacted your life and impacted what you see and do right now?
   
• Do you believe that the Lord Jesus is always with you?

Next we will see how fear and love work in the wonderful resurrection story in John’s Gospel (chapter 20).

Fr. John Cusick

Easter – The Slow Process of Discovering Life before Your Very Eyes, Part 2

Fr. John Cusick

 Have you ever been in the “dark” about something?

Or maybe you have used that word in describing someone else’s understanding. “Wow, he is totally in the dark! He just doesn’t get it.”

Being in the “dark” is how the experience of the resurrection of the Lord began. Those first people who came to the tomb were in the dark. They didn’t get it. And I have a hunch that would have been me, too, “…early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark.”

That is how John’s Gospel begins to proclaim the Good News of the Risen Lord in Chapter 20. And those few words are loaded with symbols and symbolic meaning.

The “first day of the week” is a direct reference to the first day of creation. There are at least three things symbolized by the “first day of creation.” First, what did the Creator create beginning on the first day? God began the creation of life. So this wonderful resurrection story is about the creation of new life. Get ready!

Second, what was created on the first day of creation? Light came forth from the darkness. It is only in the light that the followers will no longer be in that “dark.” Gradually they will begin to see. They will begin to get it. Also, Jesus said in John’s Gospel that He was the light of the world. Guess what? He still is. The “light” is coming forth from the darkness.

Third, the “first” day of creation is just the beginning. There is a lot more to come! That is a clever way of letting all of us know that coming to an awareness of and appreciation for the Resurrection of the Lord will take time. It will be gradual, revealing and creating a little more life and awareness slowly but surely.

So this is the searchers and seekers Gospel story. There are so many people - maybe you or people you know - who struggle with faith right now. They are searching and they are truly trying. This is a story for them and for all of us. We don’t always see what is right before our eyes. We are in the “dark” about a lot of things.

But you can’t quit. You have to keep looking and searching. Most of us won’t get it right….right away. We will not see clearly ….right away.

Remember this  is the first day and it is still dark. More to come.

Fr. John Cusick

Easter – The Slow Process of Discovering Life Before Your Very Eyes

Fr. John Cusick

“Jesus is Risen. Live report from the tomb at 10.”

“Hot news” is immediate and often sensational with plenty of on-the-scene reporting. There are interviews with witnesses. Some people are interviewed who might not have experienced much of the story first-hand, but their faces and words enhance the reporter’s story. Cameras capture the entire scene – showing as much detail as possible. And, of course, the entire segment is done in 1-3 minutes, bookended by commercials to pay for all of this.

The experience of the resurrection of the Lord is slow, gradually developing with the first “witnesses” having very little data on which to make their judgment. It takes place in the dark when it is hard to see much of anything. There is great attention to details found in an empty tomb, but little detail about the central figure of the story.

Keep in mind these wonderful scripture encounters were not written by or for the Chicago Tribune. They were written by and for people who encountered the Risen Lord and wanted to share that Good News (“Gospel” means “Good News”) with others…like you and me! They are faith stories. They are spiritual encounters and they rely heavily on people’s understanding of scripture and on the testimony of the early followers of the Risen Lord.

I invite you to go to your Bible, and open it to the Gospel of John, Chapter 20. Read that text slowly, preferably, out loud. Read it as if you were using that text to tell the story to a group of children. Make the words come alive. The goal is to get the words into your imagination. It is a wonderful text.

During the next week or so, I will post some reflections on that text from the Gospel of John. I believe it will help us get in touch with the Risen Lord among us today.

Fr. John Cusick

Good Friday: How Does the Passion and Death of Christ Speak to You?

Fr. John Cusick

On this Good Friday, please take a few precious moments and be still and quiet and reflect on the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. If at all possible, it would be wonderful to take 5-10 minutes and hold a crucifix in your hand. If that is not possible, you can always find a picture of the crucifixion of Christ on the internet. Put that picture on your screen.

As you look upon or reflect upon the Passion and Death of Christ, here is a question you might want to answer:

“How does the Passion and Death of Christ speak to you?”

Over the years, I have found a number of short responses from other people. Here are some of them. I will leave room after the last printed one for you to add your own.

May this Good Friday be a sacred day in your life and mine. May we realize how deeply God loves us. Nothing gets in the way of the Lord’s love – not even death.

Be blessed.

Fr. John Cusick

Some Reflections of Others:

• The Passion and Death of Jesus completely summarizes who He is and who we are, if we choose to call ourselves by His name: Christian.
• The Christian revelation discovered in the Passion and Death of Jesus takes place at the intersections of love and violence, of reconciliation and rage, of the offer of love and the sentence of death.
• Jesus reveals His Father as an everlasting offer of forgiveness and reconciliation – even in the face of human violence.
• The cross rises in our midst as a symbol of God’s everlasting offer of forgiveness and reconciliation and humanity’s everlasting refusal to accept it and to live it.
• Christ hangs on the cross until the end of time to symbolize God’s offer of a new way of being alive and people’s refusal to accept it.
• In the Passion and Death of Christ we see clearly and vividly that His Father is an endless flow of life and love into God’s people. He takes that life and love into the world of death. In other words, nothing and no human experience are devoid of God’s everlasting offer of life, love, forgiveness and reconciliation.
• Divine love does not stop at human mortality.
• Your reflection:

Jesus, What’s With the Footwashing?

Dr. Kate DeVries

Today’s Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper will include the powerful ritual of foot washing.  It’s one of those “Really? We’re doing that right in the middle of Mass?” moments that could use some explaining. Most of us either side with Peter (“You will never wash my feet”), or understand the ritual in terms of Jesus’ comment: “Do you realize what I have done for you? I have washed your feet; you ought to wash one another’s feet.”  [Read tonight's Gospel.] Let’s take it a bit deeper.

In her book The Holy Thursday Revolution, philosopher and theologian Beatrice Bruteau  describes the act of footwashing as nonreciprocal. “Servants wash the feet of their lords – in all sorts of ways, literally and figuratively. Very often both parties are invested in preserving the arrangement.” She goes on to explain that in some ways we all like having great people in authority over us.  We need strong leaders and mentors in our lives. Guidance from those with more experience and wisdom than we have, is good. We like having someone to turn to when we need a broader perspective.  And isn’t it nice to be a follower sometimes?  We can be connected to those people and gain from their wisdom without having the responsibility of setting the direction, taking risks and making tough decisions.

Now, put yourself in Peter’s place.  Jesus is “the man,” the master, the teacher… the Lord. Suddenly, he’s on his knees, bending before you to wash, of all things, your feet. It would be like your boss (or anyone in authority over you whom you highly respect) approaching you first thing in the morning, and saying, “How can I serve you today? What can I get you, do for you, how can I make you more comfortable?  I am here for you, and you don’t have a say in the matter.”  Wow.  No wonder Peter resisted. 

As Bruteau continues, “Jesus’ disciples are followers and believers and worshipers, and they like it that way. Jesus doesn’t. He leaves his place at the table, takes off his coat, rolls up his sleeves, gets a long towel that he ties around his waist, takes a jug of water and basin, and begins to wash the feet of his disciples. This is unbelievably shocking.  The master is acting like a servant.” She continues, “When the ‘lord’ acts as a ‘servant,’ then being a ‘lord’ or a ‘servant’ doesn’t mean anything anymore.” People become equals.  Jesus names it: “I will no longer call you servants, but friends.”

In the midst of a difficult relational situation I faced in college, I confided in a trusted professor. After listening patiently, he went through a list of my strengths, before finally saying, “Kate, stand up and be the person you are.” That line comes back to me whenever I’m in a difficult situation, and following its wisdom has made a huge difference in my life.  I wonder if the footwashing gesture is Jesus saying to all of us to “Stand up, and be the awesome person God made you to be!” Following is not enough. Being only the ‘servant’ is not acceptable.  Being only the ‘lord’ is not the answer either. We all have strengths and gifts to share.  Each of us can lead, and each of us can follow – and there is a time for both, and everything in between.  And wouldn’t it be great if we were all, always, at the service of one another?

We in the Young Adult Ministry Office strongly encourage you to make it to Mass this evening.  Sink into both the story and the ritual of the footwashing.  When the water is poured (over you or others), let it flow over you, reminding you who you are, the many gifts you have to share, and your baptismal call to stand up and be God’s beloved daughter or son in every situation.  Then, say “Amen” to the Bread of Life. As we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, may we become his Body and Blood for the world.

A Blessed Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) to all. 

Kate DeVries   

Original Harmony and Original Justice

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "The first man was not only created good, but was also established in friendship with his Creator and in harmony with himself and with the creation around him, in a state that would be surpassed only by the glory of the new creation in Christ." Great, but what does this have to do with lent? Well... EVERYTHING. Before the fall, man was in perfect harmony with God, himself, others (Adam and Eve with each other), and God's creation. You can see this very clearly in the fact that God would walk with Adam in the garden and both Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony with each other. However, when man falls all four of those relationships are broken. e.g. Man is separated from garden (creation) and Adam and Eve are even ashamed at their nakedness.

As stated in the quote from the Catechism, this brokenness is only surpassed by the glory of the new creation in Christ. The reason Christ came and conquered death was to restore that original harmony. This doesn't mean that after his passion and death we are now in perfect harmony again, it simply means that we can now reconcile with those harmonies. Christ showed us how to do so in that he taught us how to pray to God, he taught us how to be in right relationship with ourselves, he taught us how to love our neighbors as we want to be loved, and of course he taught us the importance of creation by retreating into the mountains to pray and incorporating elements of creation in his parables. In fact, he displayed all four of those relationships in the agony of the garden.

Lent is an annual opportunity to reconcile with all four original harmonies and we can use this time of fasting and prayer to grow in relationship with God, self, others, and His creation. A wonderful way to do this is to participate in the sacraments more than we usually do, and even committing to an hour of adoration a week. Use Christ's suffering and passion as motivation to be fully alive in our relationship with God and everything he created.

Jesse is 25 and is a missionary for the John Paul II Adventure Institute in Allenspark, Colorado. The JPII AI uses outdoor adventure and experiential learning to bring young Catholics to a fuller relationship with God (www.jp2adventures.com). He is currently discerning the religious life with the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.