Catholic Reflections On the Gospels

Easter is the most important feast of the liturgical year. Even in our own days we have people who question the veracity of the resurrection, we have people who deny it outright. But in today’s Readings we have the testimony of Peter and John who declare that they had direct experience of the Risen Lord. The Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, from which we get their testimony are historical accounts and not works of fiction. To prove the truthfulness of what He taught and preached, Peter gave up his life. In John’s case that need did not arise, we can believe what both of them taught, that Jesus risen from the dead. Things take an U-turn at the empty tomb! In the sordid brokenness of her Master’s death Mary of Magdela witnesses a miracle. ‘The tomb lies open!’ even the disciples John and Peter who were so close to Jesus are stunned at the reality; the Lord is not there in the tomb! Surprise – this is the first experience of the resurrection event. In our lives too, in mom

One of the songs Burl Ives made popular is entitled: “Four Initials on a Tree.” The story is about a man coming back to his home town and walking past his old high school. He sees a tree where he and his girl friend, years ago, had carved their initials. They drifted apart then but the initials are still there. The lyrics go something like: “Four initials on a tree, that’s all that’s left of love.” On Good Friday and Easter Sunday every year, many people just drift back into Church for a little visit. Perhaps it’s a tug of conscience or a bit of nostalgia that brings them there. May be they remember an old love affair with the Lord when they were young. We can all remember those years as children when we did so much for Jesus – our little deeds done out of deep faith and high ideals then came the drifting years. We forgot about our promise to love Jesus to the end of time – and beyond. Notice that those four initials are still there today on the tree of the Cross: JNRJ, Jesus

Today the Apostle John retells how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. This is a type of parable, not of words but example. The Lord did what a servant would normally do. Then He tells us, “Do the same for each other.” The point is direct and clear. The bread is blessed and broken for our salvation. We can never forget the blessed physical body of Jesus which was broken for us. We consecrate the bread and wine in memory of Him. The author, Leslie Weather-head, tells of a frail 10year old boy whose mother died and he was admitted to a Children’s Home run by some sisters. The first thing they did was give him a warm shower and clean clothes. He loved the new outfit but put on his old tattered cap. He clutched it tightly when the sisters tried to remove it. After coaxing, he exchanged it for a new one. But, before accepting the new one, he ripped the lining from the old and stuffed it in his pocket. “Why did you do that?” sister asked. “Because”, he replied, “that’s part of

Today’s Gospel offers us four brief meditations for our consideration. The first of those is on Greed. It’s not stated, but strongly implied, that Judas would not have betrayed Jesus had he not been paid. a piece of silver was a Jewish shekel, worth about 64 cents. The price placed on the head of Jesus amounted to something less than $20.00. The second has to do with mystery. There’s a “mystery man” in the Gospel passage we just heard or read. Mark and Luke say that this man would be carrying a pitcher of water. He’ll be easy to spot for women usually carried the water in those days. The disciples were to follow this man to some house. No address is given. The man with the pitcher remains one of the nameless friends of Jesus. Third, there is the matter of tension. Here was a divided table, a stress- filled supper. The disciples were distressed with the way Jesus was talking. The statement, “Better for him had he not been born”, only heighted the anxiety. Goodness and evil sat

Jesus, normally in command of every situation, is now, according to John, “deeply troubled.” Can we picture Jesus in this agitated state of mind and body? Did He break out in a sweat, sigh or shake His hands in His anxiety? Did His voice quiver when He tried to speak? As we think about Jesus’ being deeply troubled, we ask ourselves, “Why?” this time it is not the Pharisees who are bothering Him. It seems that there is a serious problem within His group – Judas. His former close friend is about to betray Him. The disciples are going to be shocked when they realize what is about to happen and who’s going to do it. The betrayal will lead Jesus to vicious suffering and death. Jesus knew it ahead of time and was deeply troubled by it. He speaks of His death to Peter; saying, “I am going where you cannot follow me now; later on you shall come after me.” Peter did, indeed, follow the Lord when He was martyred and Jesus was there to assist Him to victory. That “later on” date will ev