Reflection for April 28-5th Sunday of Easter

Which kind of love?

The day's readings can be found here.

Jesus says in the gospel today, “I give you a new commandment: love one another” (John 13:34).  This is probably one of the most popular of Christian doctrines, yet it is probably the most misunderstood (and ignored!).  The word “love” has been so banalized in our contemporary culture that its true meaning has been lost.  What is the difference between the “love” I have for chocolate versus the “love” I have for my God?  Or, what is the difference between the “love” I have for a dog versus the “love” I have for my wife?

A major problem in making effective distinctions of love is that there is really only one word for love in the English language.  In Greek there are many words indicating the different types of loves.  For a scholarly yet accessible treatment on the subject, I recommend reading Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 encyclical Deus Caritas Est (“God is love” which can be read online for free.  For something easily readable as well as entertaining, I recommend C.S. Lewis’ 1960 masterpiece The Four Loves.

Lewis divides human love into four categories, and he says “the highest does not stand without the lowest.”  The first and most basic form of love is “affection” (storge), and it is expressed when we find something in common with others.  The second form of love is “friendship” (phileo), and this is love between friends.  (Lewis believes the meaning of true friendship like that of David and Jonathan has been lost in modern society.)  The third form of love is “romance” (eros), which Lewis describes as “being in love” with someone while not always being sexual.  The fourth and highest form of love is “unconditional love” (agape) that brings forth caring regardless of circumstance.

When Jesus tells us that we must love one another as He has loved us, Jesus is asking us to love unconditionally (with agape).  As we continue to rejoice at the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we might ask ourselves: Am I being faithful to this commandment of Jesus?  Do I love unconditionally?

P.S. Please pray for the Catholic community of Mary, Queen of Heaven in Malakoff, Texas. They lost their church to an accident and subsequent fire on Thursday.

Reflection for April 21-Good Shepherd Sunday

The day's readings can be found here.

“I am the Good Shepherd.”  This is one of the most recognized images that Jesus Christ uses for Himself.  It is even in the movie The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson.  When Jesus says these words in John 10, He is linking Himself to Psalm 23 and Isaiah 40 – to Yahweh – the divine shepherd of Israel.  He is also fulfilling a prophesy in Ezekiel 34 that in the end times, a Davidic Messiah will exercise rule over the people of Israel and protect them from predators who want to kill them.

This is one of my favorite images for Jesus and one that I continue to come back to in my own prayer.  As a priest – as a shepherd – it is a realization that the power to shepherd my people comes from Jesus.  Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd.  Yet, He chooses to guide His flock — His Church — through human shepherds: the Pope, the bishops, and the priests.  Of course, we (human shepherds) are not perfect.  In fact, we fall short a lot.  We come in all shapes and sizes, we can be friendly and we can be grumpy — but we are all shepherds who work for the Good Shepherd.  Through our sacred ordination, Jesus gives us the mission to give His flock drink through Baptism, to feed His flock with the Holy Eucharist, to heal them through Penance and Anointing, to strengthen them through Confirmation and the graces of Holy Matrimony.

Probably one job of the Good Shepherd that is least popular and most difficult is the obligation to protect the flock from the wolf — to protect the faithful from evil doctrine and corrupt morals.  And why?  Because often the sheep do not want to listen.  They at times think they know better than the Shepherd.  And when they rebel and do what they want — when they choose to not listen to the Good Shepherd, then they put themselves in danger of being eaten by the wolf.

The human shepherds (we priests) are in charge of keeping the sheep close to the Good Shepherd, but sometimes we are criticized when we have to tell the sheep things they do not want to hear.  Nevertheless we will not relax our efforts because we are shepherds after the Heart of Christ, and in imitation of the Good Shepherd, we will lay down our lives for our flock to protect them from the wolf.  This Good Shepherd Sunday, please pray for your shepherds — that we may have the strength and courage necessary to lead you, the faithful, to the green pastures of sanctity and the restful waters of divine grace.

Reflection on April 7-Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

Why go to a priest

if you can go straight to God?

The day's readings can be found here.

As Catholics, how many times have we been asked this question: “Why do you go to confession to a priest when you could just confess straight to God?”  At first, this objection seems difficult to answer as a Catholic.  It seems so easy, right?  Just go straight to God for forgiveness.  Why go through a priest?  The answer to this question, however, is quite simple:  Because Jesus Christ prefers to forgive sins through the sacrament of confession — the sacrament that He Himself instituted in order to show His Divine Mercy!

So, where is this in the Bible?  Today in the holy gospel from St. John, chapter 20, we see the resurrected Christ revealing Himself to the apostles.  He sends them out, but before doing so, He breathes on them (John 20:22).  This is no accident.  The last time that God breathed on man was at creation.  Therefore, with this gesture, God is communicating the awesome power of creation — of re-creation — to the apostles.  But for what purpose?  Jesus says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:22-23).  This is shocking!  Jesus is giving the authority to forgive sins – the authority that was previously only God’s authority – to mere men!  And why?  So that these men (apostles) can work to reconcile sinners to God, to share Jesus’ ocean mercy with those who need it most.

It is very important to note that the Catholic Church did not invent the sacrament of confession.  In fact, there is evidence from both Christian and non-Christian sources of the confession of sins to priests (and open confessions in church assemblies).  It is also important to realize that going to a priest is not somehow avoiding God.  When we go to a priest for confession, we have already acknowledged our faults in God’s presence.  By going to a priest, we learn humility and we are strengthened in our resolve to not sin again.  We also receive an abundance of grace, we are immersed in God’s ocean of mercy, we receive advice to help us avoid sin in the future, and we are assured of God’s forgiveness!

During this Easter Season, we rejoice in the Divine Mercy that has been won for us through the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Even though Lent is over, we might make a commitment to our risen Lord to make devotional confession a bigger part of our spiritual life.  We might be surprised at how our lives will be changed, that sin will decrease, and that our call to holiness will be less of an idea and more of a reality.