John 3:16

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3"16)

I’ve watched too many football games with “John 3:16” cards held aloft — so often that the passage is beginning to lose meaning .  

To bring it back to life, today try focusing on just one “key” word: gave.  God loved the world so much that he didn’t just “send” his Son; he gave his Son!  He was given as a gift to us.  This gift is so incredible and wonderful that all we need to do is accept the gift, which means to believe in him.

There is more.  That precious gift of Jesus Christ has a purpose.  If we truly believe in him, then the consequence of that gift is our salvation.  If we refuse to believe in him, we have chosen to reject this gift.  Such a choice, to reject Jesus, is to condemn ourselves.

How can this possibly be, you ask?  How can we condemn ourselves?  Again, we need to look at the consequences of our choices.  To ‘believe’ in Jesus is to follow him, to become his disciple, and to live the moral life of unselfish love that he exemplified.  Our good deeds flow from our discipleship, which in turn flows from “believing.”  The Most Holy Trinity comes to dwell within us and strengthen us through the Sacraments instituted by Christ.

One who chooses to ‘reject’ Jesus, on the other hand, will not have the benefit of the indwelling Spirit to help him, and may not be challenged to live a morally sound life.  Thus, by choosing independence from Jesus he has chosen a path strewn with obstacles that might become insurmountable.  A life that begins with sanctifying grace (baptism) is not an option for such an individual because of his fundamental choice to be a disciple of some thing or someone other than Jesus.

God gave; will you accept the gift and follow the example of Jesus?

eH

The most precious gift that God could give to us is his only Son.  Jesus came so that the world might know God’s love for us.

--Rev. Deacon Joseph Pasquella

The Lion of Israel

 A passage taken from the Book of the Prophet Amos brought to mind images of Aslan and Narnia. The profession of faith recounted in Deuteronomy is very straightforward. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is One” (Deut. 6:4). The one God is the Lion of Israel. When His roars, who will not be afraid?

Despite our egalitarian approach to life, we are not God’s equals and we cannot domesticate the Lion of Israel. We live in His kingdom by His grace and benevolent will. This can prove disconcerting in a “feel good” society.

Some of us may remember Mr. Beaver telling Lucy “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you”

The Lion of Israel is ferocious, not safe, but at the same time He is good, because as Saint John wrote, “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8). “Let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 JN. 4:7). To love God is to be willing to take risks, because love is not safe. Divine love does not ignore sin, but allows for mercy. Love isn’t safe, but it is good and seeks the truth.

“The lion roars – who will not be afraid?” The Psalmist wrote, “The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Ps. 14:1). Since there is no God, the individual considers himself free to do whatever he or she wills.

We seem to keep forgetting that God does not need our belief in Him for Him to exist. The ancients knew this and celebrated it in their liturgical songs. “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered. May His foes flee before Him. May He blow them away like smoke – as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God” (Ps. 68: 1-2).

With all His might, God protects all that is His own. As we read in the Gospel of Saint John, “I give them eternal life, and they will never be lost; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (Jn. 10: 28-29). God not only speaks words of love, but He also has the power to save all those He has made His own.

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

 When the Lion of Israel roars we have no reason to fear. While He may not be safe, He is good and loving. Certainly the Prophet Isaiah understood this. “The right arm of the Lord is not too weak to save, not His ear deaf to hear” (Is. 59:1).

The Lion of Israel is on the prowl, looking for someone He can free from slavery to the world and claim as His very own. The Lion of Israel is not tame, nor can He be domesticated, yet He roars with the inexpressible fullness of Love.

 While the circumstances may differ, each of us is called to have faith and trust in the Lord. When we hear the roar of the Lion of Israel, let us kneel before Him in humble adoration. True life begins when we stop living for safety and start risking self-sacrificing love.

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

Objects of God's Ferocious Love

Several times, I have mentioned Aslan in a homily. Some people were taken aback that I should present such a ferocious image of God as this lion from the Tales of Narnia.

At the risk of repeating myself, God is not a household pet. He cannot be caged or domesticated. He is the God of glory and majesty and He loves us.

We read in the Gospel of John: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (Jn. 3: 16-17).

It takes strength of will and self-mastery to forgive. Only a God of power and might can take our deformed nature and reshape it in the grandeur He intended from the beginning of time.

It takes great love to recreate us in His image and likeness without destroying us. It takes child-like trust to place ourselves in the powerful hands of the Potter Who desires to shape us into vessels capable of containing His Spirit.

The purpose of the image is not to frighten us but to remind us that we are the objects of God’s undying and ferocious love.

It is with this ferocious lover that Abraham is haggling for the lives of the people in the condemned city of Sodom. Remember that. Knowing that we are loved we can take to risk of making demands of the One who loves us.

Abraham is imposing upon one who accepted his hospitality.

Abraham is haggling with one who allowed him to wash his feet.

Abraham is seeking clarity from one who accompanied him on his journey.

That is not a bad context for heartfelt prayer.

The story of Abraham mirrors ours in many ways. God comes into our lives, uninvited. He is willing to accept whatever we are willing to offer in the way of hospitality. Then He takes us with Him as moves on. The ferocious and infinite love of God allows us to connect with members of the Blessed Trinity, for to grow is love of all whom He loves and to pour ourselves out in serve of those He sends our way.

Having grown up in an old ethnic neighborhood, I find it easier than some to imagine the passage of time. When I was growing up, someone was always running to a neighbor to get a cup of sugar. There was always someone ready to offer a helping hand when you were in need and you never imagined being sent away empty-handed.

No doubt, this is what Jesus had in mind when he told the parable. “Imagine going to a friend at midnight because a surprise visitor has come from out of town and your cupboard is bare. Hospitality demands that the visitor has to be fed." Breaking bread with a guest is a sign of sharing life. As Jesus is telling the story, you can almost hear the pounding on the door and the grumbling from inside the house. Yet Jesus keeps building the dramatic tension. This request goes beyond self-respect; it goes to the heart honor and community identity. Anyone who could was expected to help. Being refused in a time of need would be unthinkable.

On one side of the door is pounding and loud cries for help. On the other, growls of protest and threats of reprisal. The parable seems to be a long drawn out question: Would you expect a friend to refuse you in your time of need? Of course, the answer is NO! And so the pounding and begging gets louder and louder, until the door opens.

 As to a trusted friend, we turn to the Lion of Israel in our times of need. Because He has a ferocious love for us, we can be confident that God will give us whatever we need. Through the parable, Jesus is encouraging us to express our trust in God’s ferocious love. Like the neighbor in need, we should not get discouraged or give up. We need to remember Jesus’ words: “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you” (Lk 11:9).

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

The Intimate Indwelling of the Trinity – Perichoresis

As we continue our journey towards the feast of Pentecost, the Church reminds us of the reason for our joy: God, Who is rich in mercy has brought us, one and all, to newness of life in Christ. By means of the Paschal Mystery, we have been united to Christ and have become sons and daughters in the Son. Jesus’ comment is quite remarkable. “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.” The relationship between the Father and the Son is not static but it is dynamic and life-giving. Living in a world that is consumed with greed and self-centeredness, it is hard to imagine what it means to be loved in a living and life-giving way. If we are honest, this is actually the deepest longing of our heart, to be loved into life. Perhaps St. Augustine had it right. We were made to make our home in that love and our hearts are restless until they rest in him.

The love that Christ offers us sets us free to be the individuals we were meant to be. Life is not a thing we possess; rather, it is a relationship we live. It means clinging to the One who has called me by name since before time began. Jesus says, "I love you with an everlasting love," and each one of us is facing the opportunity to welcome it and to make our home in it. When I'm at home in, when I remain in his love, I'm in a peace that I know and can feel. It feels centered. I can feel what being loved allows me to do. I'm no longer afraid. I have courage. And my heart is again capable of compassion and mercy. The love of God has made us human again. God dwelling within us allows us to relate in love with one another.

The early Church had a word for the intimate indwelling of the Trinity – perichoresis. This word was used to provide a dynamic, rather than static, description of the inter-penetrating, indwelling relationship of the Father, Son and Spirit in both a deeply personal and spiritual way. It is a movement of love that has broken forth into our existence in Jesus Christ and has drawn all creation into this glorious yet mysterious Divine life. Having been drawn into the bond of love by baptism we are able to embrace in love and harmony all that God loves. This communion removes fear and hiding and creates freedom to know and be known. In this freedom arises a fellowship and sharing so honest and open and real that persons involved dwell in one another. There is union without loss of individual identity. The love with which we have been loved allows us to love one another and to journey along the road that leads to our heavenly homeland.

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.”
(Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass)

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCP

How Much Does God Love Us?

While giving a retreat one day to a Confirmation Class, in Antrim, Ireland, a priest put a leading question to them ‘How much does God love us? This much, maybe…’ and  he opened my hands until they were about shoulder-width apart. ‘No! – more!’ they chorused. The hands went wider, and again the same answer. At last the hands were outstretched as if on the Cross, and they answered ‘Yes, that much!’ As he stood there with the hands still outstretched, one girl over on his left spoke up: ‘But you can’t even begin to describe how much God loves us!’   They were all stunned into a silence, with the wisdom and truth of what she had just said- ‘you can’t even begin to describe how much God loves us!’

If I had just one verse of the Scriptures to take with me to a desert island, it very probably would be John 15:9, ‘As my Father has loved me, so I have loved you!’, but more like this: ‘The way my Father has loved me, that is how much I have loved you!’  ‘As much as my Father loves me and has always loved me, that is just how much I have loved you, and have loved all of you!’,- that is, with a love that has no limits at all. When we ponder and contemplate the first part, and wonder at just how much the Father loves His Son Jesus from all eternity,- as the awesomeness of this fills us, then we hear what Jesus is saying to us in the second half, about his relationship with us,- one of love without limits, like the Father’s.  And then he says: ‘Live in my love’,- or ‘Abide in my love’, or ‘Make your home in my love’,-  or maybe, like a fish in the sea, we swim in the ocean of God’s love that knows no shores nor horizons. 

And then, as we awaken to ‘as I have loved you’, in all its depth and width and height and length, he tells us to ‘love one another’ with the same depth and width and height and length.  And to help us to do this, he says (in the same chapter) ‘make your home in me as I make mine in you’. What a relationship, what an intimacy! He invites us to live in each other.

Love is a word which is often over used and misused in modern western culture. God’s love is unconditional love, Divine Love is only possible in a person who has been baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. A soul that is maintaining its ability to love with agape love is a soul that remains in the state of grace. Jesus tells us, “If you love me, keep my Commandments”. We cannot say we love God and continue to walk in the darkness of sin. And should we confess our sin, we must wish with all our hearts never to commit such sins again--this is true repentance and contrition. 

Jesus truly demonstrated his love for us in the cruel agony he suffering in the garden, in the betrayal of Judas, in the Scourging at the Pillar, in his carrying of his Cross, in his crucifixion and death. For God, who is the greatest lover, so loved the world so that the greatest number (that whosoever believes in him which is the greatest invitation) shall have ever lasting life, the greatest gift. What are we willing to do do manifest our love to Him?

 ‘I am alive, or rather it is not I who am alive, but it is Christ who is alive in me! I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.’ (St. Paul, to the Galatian disciples, in Galatians 2:20)

--Rev. Deacon Mr. Joseph Pasquella

Our Close and Passionate God

I will heal their disloyalty;
   I will love them freely,
   for my anger has turned from them.
⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel;
   he shall blossom like the lily,
   he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.
⁶ His shoots shall spread out;
   his beauty shall be like the olive tree,
   and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.
⁷ They shall again live beneath my shadow,
   they shall flourish as a garden;
they shall blossom like the vine,
   their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

⁸ O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
   It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
   your faithfulness comes from me.  (Hosea 14: 4-8)

The readings throughout the season of Lent give us a glimpse into the inner life of God. Contrary to our catechetical approach, the prophets show us a God who is not distant, not impassionate or disinterested. Through the prophet, God calls out in heart-wrenching cries because His people have abandoned Him. Saint Mark notes how Jesus' heart was moved with pity for the crowd (CF. Mk. 6:34). The God of Israel is not indifferent to the self-absorption of His people. Seeing them on a self-destructive path, He immerses Himself in their rescue.

Jesus, who only does what He sees the Father do, sees the impending doom of the city He loves and is so moved with pity that He sobs. The Son of God weeps uncontrollably because the eyes of His people are dry and tearless and their hearts were unmoved. God had created human beings in His image and likeness and yet they were cold and unresponsive to the needs of the poor and marginalized. This is the horror of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Seeing the man naked and bleeding on the side of the road, a priest and a Levite both cross the road and do nothing, all in the name of ritual purity (CF. Lk. 10: 30-37). Jesus came into the world to seek out the lost. Sinners do not contaminate Him, but by touching them, He makes them whole and pure.

Because God's compassion flows from the depths of His being, those who were brought into being by a breath of His mouth can learn to be fully human again. The prophet begs the people to repent of their sins and set their gaze on God. Man is rebellious and burdened with sin, yet the divine potter loves the work of His hands. Through the words of the prophet, God speaks heart-to-heart with His people, giving heart to those who had forgotten how to feel. Through the Eternal Word, God invites every man, woman and child to offer the one sacrifice that is truly pleasing to Him, a heart consumed by the fire of divine love.

God is jealous of His handiwork and will not be satisfied with anything less than fruition of His creative will. During these days of Lent we fast and abstain from our ungodly appetites so as to come to the fullness of life in Christ. The prophet attempts to awaken in us a desire to be all that we were meant to be and to heighten our dissatisfaction with what we have made of ourselves. God does not ask for costly sacrifices. What He desires are words of repentance flowing from a contrite heart. When our conscience moves us to cry for deliverance, the Lord leans down from His majestic throne on high and answers us. At that moment we are not far from the kingdom of God.

Father Jerome Machar, OSCP

God's Love Knows No Bounds

In the face of violence and terrorism, Lent reminds us that God loves everything and everyone He has created. In the face of hatred and prejudice, Lent reminds us that God is Love and because He cannot deny His own nature, He loves even those who do not love Him. In the face of a culture of death, Lent reminds us that God know that we are dust, but as creatures that He loves, we bear a treasure in earthen vessels. In the face of a society that is becoming more and more isolated, Lent reminds us that God made us to live in relationship with Him and with one another.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God speaks a word of comfort to the heart of each of His creatures. In that word is found a gracious offer of pardon and peace. Unlike His creatures, God is rich in mercy. No matter how mired we are in sin, God seeks us out and calls us to repent and return to His loving embrace. God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son to save all who are willing to accept Him. Salvation is on God’s terms and not ours. For this reason, He has a claim on our obedience and allegiance.

The mercy of God is everlasting and His love is without measure and His Word is Truth. In love He speaks the truth to our hearts and He expects us to respond in truth. We can respond to the call of mercy because God has first sought us and the Holy Spirit is at work, ready to transform us, provided we allow Him. This transformation is total. It requires a change of mind and heart whereby we seek to conform ourselves to the mind and love of God. To repent is to return to the Lord from Whom we have wandered.

The word that proceeds for the mouth of God is living and life-giving. The letter to the Hebrews enlarges upon Isaiah’s theme: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). God’s Word produces a spiritual change in the mind of men, which neither rain nor snow can make on the earth. It shall not return to the Lord without producing important effects. Gospel grace can and will transform us and bring about newness of life in Christ. Provided we truly repent of our sins, we will be delivered from the wrath to come and come to live in peace with one another and with ourselves. Because we have come to know the mercy of God Who sought us while we were mired in sin and guilt, we can show compassion to others who are enslaved to sin.

God offers His People forgiveness and peace. Like those who have gone before us, we have to leave the land of our slavery. Freedom from guilt and shame comes when we choose to abandon the fleshpots of Egypt and journey towards the Land flowing with milk and honey. The Word of God can soften our sin-hardened hearts only if we are willing to immerse ourselves in it. The Word of God is effective and active only if we allow it to take root in our souls. During the forty days of Lent may the Lord make our hearts like His, firm and merciful, attentive and generous. Having pondered the word, may we be joyous heralds of mercy and hope.

Father Jerome Machar OSCO

Lessons from the Ursuline Sisters

Saint Angela Merici went out and taught many people about God. She is the foundress of one of the first teaching orders, the Ursuline Sisters. The Ursuline Sisters went out and taught in the entire world about Jesus. They were the first group of missionary teaching sisters to come to what would be the Americas. They came to New Orleans before New Orleans was even in the United States, to teach all of these different people. Why there? Because New Orleans was one of the few places that was, at that time, Catholic. 

Saint Angela Merici

They came, and the sisters were very courageous and very zealous to teach people about God. They knew that whatever they were teaching them, whether it was math or science or religion or whatever, all of it brought them closer to God. Why is that? Because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  So if Jesus is the truth that means that everything that you learn in school, if it is true, then it is from God. Everything. Everything is ordered by God, even mathematics.

Math. What you think about math? 2+2 = 4, 3+2 = 5 and so on. Does 2 + 2 = 4 just because of the laws of mathematics? Or is it because God put order in the world? That order is to help us through our lives. And so who made 2+ 2= 4? God because He made order. He created all things. It is not true because some mathematician or scientist somewhere said it was true. It is true because it reflects the order of God. And that is what the Ursuline sisters found so amazing about teaching. So when they came into this country, they were pretty awesome. These were sisters who really knew their stuff. St. Angela Merici lived hundreds of years before this, but think, what we do now can affect people hundreds of years later when we let God work through us. 

Ursuline Sisters landing in New Orleans

When these sisters came to New Orleans, they were nuns who wore the whole religious habit from a long the veil all the way down to a very long skirt and long sleeves. They look very beautiful and very regal, but guess what? Do you think you want to be dressed like that in 90 degrees in New Orleans where all the mosquitoes are around? The sisters actually had to be put in cocoons. They were put in a canoe and a covering was put over them and tar was used to light their way so that they could get through the swamps to the places where the schools would be. Thye were all covered like that because so many people died while going there from different diseases from the animals and the bugs. Can you imagine that? If somebody said to you, “Hey! There are some kids that need to be taught some lessons about Jesus, but here is the catch. You are going to be put into a cocoon and floated down the river because you might die from a bug bite.” What would you say? “Uhhh. . . .” It would be a little scary, wouldn’t it? 

However, the sisters decided that the people on the other side of the swamp needed Jesus and they needed to learn the truth and so the sisters did it. And that is why these Ursuline sisters were women of great courage. They went where no one else would go so that people would learn the truth, not just in school about mathematics and science but also the greatest truth which is that God loves them.

And so, what lengths are you willing to go to to teach somebody that God loves them? What lengths are you willing to go? Maybe it is standing up for the person who is being picked on. Are you willing to stand up for that person? Even though it might be hard. To say yes, that person is loved by God and I am going to treat them nicely. Or the person that drives you the most crazy. Maybe it is in school. Maybe it is at home, maybe it is a little brother or sister, whoever it is, but they are driving you nuts. Are you willing to go that extra mile and say, “I’m not going to go nuts. I am not going to blow up. I am going to love them and I am going to nice.” Are you willing to go that extra mile? What are you willing to do? St. Angela Merici and all the sisters involved with her were willing to do great things so that other people might love God. What are you going to do today so that others might know God through you? I hope none of you have to be rolled up in a cocoon and floated down a river so that you will not die from a mosquito bite. However, if God called you, would you go? Let us pray for the strength to know when others need us, to to show others God’s love them when we just rather be lazy.

--Father Jacob Meyer