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01 Apr 2012 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle B

THE GOSPELS ARE not biographies of Jesus. That is most clear during Holy Week, when scripture recounts the Passion in all its brutal details. Nearly one-fourth of the synoptic gospels are devoted to the Passion; when it comes to John, make that one-third. Obviously the gospel writers were not as invested in the life of Jesus so much as they were dedicated to portraying and interpreting his death. It is in this final week, we understand, that the identity of Jesus is fully expressed. Miracles from his active ministry are often dismissed in a paragraph or two. In the Gospel of Mark particularly, teachings are brushed past in a sentence: “And Jesus taught them many things.” You’ll look in vain for his Sermon on the Mount. Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus had to say because for Mark, Jesus the Teacher is more important for future disciples to grasp than any one lesson plan. Heaps of miracles and years of instruction had meaning for the individuals involved but not for us. All we need to know is Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Teacher—until we reach his final identity, Jesus the Obedient One. It’s no accident that the Passion narrative sounds almost pre-scripted. Jesus talks his way through it like a man in a dream he’s had before. He describes actions already set in motion: You’ll find a colt tied to a fence; you’ll meet a man carrying water. One of you will betray me. All of you will have your faith shaken. Peter will deny me. See, my betrayer is at hand. Everything that happens fulfills the prophecies of scripture. There’s no point in speaking at his trial, to Caiaphas or Pilate; Jesus already bears the weight of his cross, so words seem wasted. Although the Holy Week narratives sound premeditated, that’s not the same as saying that free will was revoked for one long dark week of history. People still make choices: the woman with the alabaster jar, the sleepy disciples in the garden, the young man who runs off naked—even Judas, who leaves the greatest supper ever served to sell out his host. Could Caiaphas have had a softening of the heart? Might Pilate have thrown out the case? Did the soldiers have a chance to let their prisoner escape? Was the Crucifixion in some cosmic sense inevitable? As we consider each critical character in this Passion play, we mustn’t lose sight of Barabbas. It’s become a Holy Week practice to wonder what each of us might have done differently, given the chance. Am I Peter, am I Judas, am I the anonymous one who runs away? At bottom, though, we’re all really Barabbas: the sinner for whom the Just One’s life was traded away. Related scripture links Destroying the Temple: Mark 13:2; 15:29; Matt. 24:2; 26:61; 27:40; Luke 21:6; John 2:19-21; Acts 6:14 What Christ emptied and regained: Col. 1:15-20 Servant model of surrender: Isa. 42:1-4; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12 The story of Incarnation: John 1:14; 2 Cor. 8:9 Catechism links The Passion of Jesus: CCC 571-618

Authors Alice Camille

Passion Palm Sunday gospels synoptic gospels Holy Week

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Exploring the word

01 Apr 2012 - Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Cycle B

THE GOSPELS ARE not biographies of Jesus. That is most clear during Holy Week, when scripture recounts the Passion in all its brutal details. Nearly one-fourth of the synoptic gospels are devoted to the Passion; when it comes to John, make that one-third. Obviously the gospel writers were not as invested in the life of Jesus so much as they were dedicated to portraying and interpreting his death. It is in this final week, we understand, that the identity of Jesus is fully expressed. Miracles from his active ministry are often dismissed in a paragraph or two. In the Gospel of Mark particularly, teachings are brushed past in a sentence: “And Jesus taught them many things.” You’ll look in vain for his Sermon on the Mount. Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus had to say because for Mark, Jesus the Teacher is more important for future disciples to grasp than any one lesson plan. Heaps of miracles and years of instruction had meaning for the individuals involved but not for us. All we need to know is Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Teacher—until we reach his final identity, Jesus the Obedient One. It’s no accident that the Passion narrative sounds almost pre-scripted. Jesus talks his way through it like a man in a dream he’s had before. He describes actions already set in motion: You’ll find a colt tied to a fence; you’ll meet a man carrying water. One of you will betray me. All of you will have your faith shaken. Peter will deny me. See, my betrayer is at hand. Everything that happens fulfills the prophecies of scripture. There’s no point in speaking at his trial, to Caiaphas or Pilate; Jesus already bears the weight of his cross, so words seem wasted. Although the Holy Week narratives sound premeditated, that’s not the same as saying that free will was revoked for one long dark week of history. People still make choices: the woman with the alabaster jar, the sleepy disciples in the garden, the young man who runs off naked—even Judas, who leaves the greatest supper ever served to sell out his host. Could Caiaphas have had a softening of the heart? Might Pilate have thrown out the case? Did the soldiers have a chance to let their prisoner escape? Was the Crucifixion in some cosmic sense inevitable? As we consider each critical character in this Passion play, we mustn’t lose sight of Barabbas. It’s become a Holy Week practice to wonder what each of us might have done differently, given the chance. Am I Peter, am I Judas, am I the anonymous one who runs away? At bottom, though, we’re all really Barabbas: the sinner for whom the Just One’s life was traded away. Related scripture links Destroying the Temple: Mark 13:2; 15:29; Matt. 24:2; 26:61; 27:40; Luke 21:6; John 2:19-21; Acts 6:14 What Christ emptied and regained: Col. 1:15-20 Servant model of surrender: Isa. 42:1-4; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12 The story of Incarnation: John 1:14; 2 Cor. 8:9 Catechism links The Passion of Jesus: CCC 571-618

Authors Alice Camille

Passion Palm Sunday gospels synoptic gospels Holy Week

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Homily themes

14 Feb 2010 - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain. Faith and hope make up two of the most important Christian values. Today’s scripture shows why. Saint Paul replied to those in Corinth who deny resurrection by seeing where their argument would lead them. Basically, he says, without belief in resurrection, nothing about being Christian makes sense. If you don’t believe the dead will rise, he said, then you couldn’t have believed that Christ rose from the dead, and therefore your faith is groundless. And without this set of beliefs, you wouldn’t have much hope. Faith in God, though, gives meaning to your life. It helps you to see life is more than it appears. Homily points The gospels share a lot of common points, but there’s a reason why we have four versions. The evangelists differed as a result of their sources, audiences, and intentions, but audience may have been the principle factor. Luke’s Beatitudes are focused on economic injustice, and we can’t soft sell this message because for Luke, it is the message. Blessings and woes aren’t things God uses as rewards and punishments. They result from our active choosing.

Authors Joel Schorn

christian values Resurrection gospels beatitudes

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Pursuing gospel truth

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

What a claim! What a powerful phrase! The “gospel truth.” But what is it, really? The meaning of gospel truth upends our expectations. As affirmed by the church from scripture and tradition, gospel truth is not about factuality. Of course, the gospels narrate real events and are overflowing with real meaning. But gospel truth goes well beyond this. Gospel truth is the sure communication of the Holy Spirit received and passed on within and through the community. It comes from God, who is love. Gospel truth is about vitality–life! The abundant life that is given in Christ Jesus! Life and love. “Gospel truth” is ultimately about a person, about the truth of God’s love, a truth that pursues us. Grace. Thus, Jesus proclaims the gospel and we as Christians carry on that ministry of teaching and healing, living the gospel. More to the point, we “live in” the gospel. Which is to say we “live in Christ.” Because in Jesus’s climactic suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus became the message itself. The messenger I the message. To live in Christ is to be about gospel living. The way of the gospel becomes the way of Christ: completely inseparable, one and the same. Christianity is about more than a set of truths, however beautiful they may be. It is more about pursuing truth—the pursuit of a truth always beyond our little cantaloupe-sized brains and all-too-often Grinch-sized hearts! In the final analysis, the gospel truth is that it is not we who are pursuing truth, but truth —God!—pursuing us.

Authors Bryan Froehle

gospels Truth gospel truth

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