Author Archives: frmorty

24th April – DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY (C).

Yesterday I had a visit from my niece Mary O’Shea and her fiancé Kevin Dunn.

EXTRA FOR LATER? The truth of Christianity depends radically on the reality of Jesus’ bodily Resurrection from the dead. If Jesus didn’t in fact rise, then Christianity is one of the biggest frauds ever in human history. As St Paul says: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:14-19) Thus this is a commendable 20 minute podcast entitled EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION accessible at www.tiny.cc/EVIDENCER. As it says: “At Easter we don’t celebrate a myth or a great psychological symbol [as Dr Jordan Peterson would put it]. We celebrate the historical event that is the foundation of all of our hope and joy and happiness. He is truly Risen! Our faith is not in vain! ”

This was my homily for today.

This Sunday I want to talk to you about an important – even essential – article of our Catholic faith: namely, the forgiveness of sin and the Sacrament of Confession / Reconciliation. The forgiveness of sin is important because sin is the one thing that blocks us from eternal life with God.

To see the larger picture, Jesus’ first appearance to the Apostles that we heard about in today’s gospel happened on Easter Sunday evening. In this and all other appearances he will prepare them for the continuation of his saving mission after his departure on Ascension Thursday.

What does Jesus do in today’s first appearance after the Resurrection?

He commissions them to go out into the world and forgive sins. To quote from today’s gospel: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” This is the commission.

He then gives the Holy Spirit – the Lord the giver of life – for the fulfilling of this commission. To quote from today’s gospel: “He breathed on them and said ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” The Holy Spirit is often described as the breath of God.

Finally he gives the commission itself: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thus Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Confession on the first Easter Sunday evening.

As it happens, there is no small amount of Catholics today who have a difficulty with Jesus’ system for the forgiveness of sin. They say: “I want to confess my sins directly to God and not through a third party.”

Well, OK, yes – we can confess our sins directly to God as we do at the start of Mass in the Confiteor and as we may do elsewhere whenever we say an Act of Contrition. This is one way that smaller, venial sins are forgiven.

BUT, it is Jesus’ express plan that confessing our sins in the Sacrament of Confession has a special place of privilege in our Catholic faith. It is a solemn teaching of our Catholic faith that the ordinary way in which serious / mortal sin be forgiven is in the Sacrament.

Why does Jesus want us to value Confession as the ordinary way in which especially serious sin is forgiven?

Firstly there is the assurance that our sin has in fact been absolved when the priest acting in the person of Christ says the words: “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We don’t have the same assurance if we are having a private conversation with God in our head.

Secondly it is in keeping with our human nature that inner healing and reconciliation works best when we verbalise our faults and failings and what’s going in within us.

This is clearly recognised in the Twelve Steps of the wonderful Alcoholics Anonymous – AA – movement. Step Four says: “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” This no doubt requires courage and humility. It is so much easier to remain in denial and never make any real progress in our lives.

Step Five says: “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to ANOTHER HUMAN BEING – typically one’s AA sponsor – the exact nature of our wrongs.” This is in fact a secular form of the Sacrament of Confession. Something very similar happens when somebody goes for counselling. In Ireland we have a saying: A problem shared is a problem halved.

However, unlike an AA sponsor or a counsellor, a priest can actually absolve one’s sins and ensure that we are right with God again and restored to his friendship. Furthermore a priest has extensive training and experience in the spiritual life and can give help and advice and assurance in one’s faith journey.

Going back to the gospel, why would a priest retain / not absolve the sins of a penitent? This is a very rare event. For absolution and reconciliation to be effective, 3 things have to be present: firstly sorrow for one’s sins; secondly, a good faith purpose of amendment to not sin again and finally, a good faith intention to make reparation where appropriate for wrongs committed.

So in summary: In his first encounter with the Apostles after the Resurrection, Jesus gives them his divine power to forgive sin. In our Catholic faith, this is the ordinary way in which serious sin is forgiven.

23rd April – SATURDAY IN THE EASTER OCTAVE.

With many things in life it is more important to go for QUALITY rather than QUANTITY. This is especially true when it comes to our study and praying with the Word of God.

This passage below from Romans 14:7-9 which features in today’s Morning Prayer has so much meaning and significance for our Christian lives. Please read it slowly and prayerfully. Ask the Holy Spirit to make it happen for you – that Jesus will truly be Lord in all aspects of your life, that you will belong to him in life and in death as a sheep completely belongs to its shepherd. It is such a privilege to surrender our lives to the Lord given his great love for us as shown in his dying for our sins and rising to make eternal life accessible to us. This is absolute security for us in both life and death.

The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

22nd April – FRIDAY IN THE EASTER OCTAVE.

A major theme of this week’s post-Resurrection gospels has been Jesus explaining the Scriptures to his disciples. This will be central to their mission to bring his saving Gospel to the ends of the earth.

On Monday we heard about the Road to Emmaus and how the disciples’ hearts burned within them as Jesus explained the Old Testament to them: “He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27). In yesterday’s gospel passage we heard him say later in the Upper Room: “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”” (Luke 24:45-47)

We should have a great love for the Bible and zeal to incorporate it into our lives. Remember that the children’s understanding of BIBLE is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth! This recent WhatApp message can help in this regard.

PERHAPS YOU CAN TAKE ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS OFFERED BELOW AND PRAY WITH IT. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A BIBLE, VISIT https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/

Bible Emergency numbers:☎📞When in sorrow, call John 14☎📞When men fail you, call Psalm 27☎📞When you have sinned, call Psalm 51☎📞When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34☎📞In danger, Psalm 91☎📞When God seems far away, call Psalm 139☎📞When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrews 11☎📞When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23☎📞When you grow bitter and critical, call 1 Cor 13☎📞You feel down and out, call Romans 8:31-39☎📞You want peace and rest, Matthew 11:25-30☎📞When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90☎📞When you want Christian assurance, call Romans 8:1-30☎📞When you leave home for labor or travel, call Psalm 121☎📞When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, call Psalm 67☎📞When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1☎📞When you think of investments/ returns, call Mark 10☎📞How to get along with fellowmen, Romans 12☎📞For great invention/ opportunity, Isaiah 55☎📞For Paul’s secret to happiness, Col 3:12-17☎📞For idea of Chrisitanity,call 2 Cor 5:15-19☎📞Depressed. Psalm 27☎📞To be fruitful, John 15☎📞If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37☎📞Losing confidence in people, 1 Cor 13☎📞If people seem unkind,call John 15☎📞If discouraged about your work, Psalm 126☎📞If you find the world growing small and you great, call Psalm 19.

21st April – THURSDAY IN THE EASTER OCTAVE.

I recently asked a pilgrim to Medjugorje to remember me to Our Lady. Along with the acknowledgement of same I got this picture as well from Apparition Hill.

Here is today’s gospel preceded by commentary from the Bishops’ website.

According to the beginning of today’s gospel reading the disciples were talking together about all that had been happening since the women found the tomb of Jesus empty. The two disciples were telling their story of what had happened to them while they were walking to Emmaus. Others were sharing how the Lord had appeared to Simon Peter. It was while they were sharing their experiences of the Lord together that suddenly the risen Lord appeared among them. They didn’t have to go looking for him, no more than the two disciples on the road to Emmaus or Simon Peter had to go looking for him. No, the risen Lord looked for them; he came to them; he stood among them, with his greeting ‘Peace be with you’.

That is how the risen Lord relates to us all. We don’t have to go looking for him. He comes to us. He might come to us while we are walking along, like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; he might come to us while we are grieving, as he came to Mary Magdalene. He might come to us while we are talking with and listening to other disciples, other people of faith, as in today’s gospel reading. The risen Lord is always coming to stand among us, wherever we are, whether we are in church or at home, or out walking. He comes to stand among us, whatever our frame of mind or heart, whether we are sad or excited or puzzled.

The initiative is always with the Lord, rather than with us. All we can do is to respond to his initiative towards us. He comes; we respond. Our response can evolve over time. In today’s gospel reading, the initial response of the disciples to the Lord’s coming was one of alarm and fright; that response gave way to joy, and then to loving service as they offered the Lord some food. Our response to the risen Lord’s coming to us and standing among us is never a full response, at least not in this earthly life. There is always another step we can take in response to the Lord’s coming, and the Lord will help us to keep taking that step.

The Gospel Reflection is available with our thanks from Reflections on the Weekday Readings 2021-2022: My Words Will Not Pass Away by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications  c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

——————————————————————

Gospel Acclamation            Ps 117: 24
Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.                 And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke   2-48        Glory to you, O Lord
Theme: It is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.

The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread. They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them,
‘Peace be with you!‘
In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost.
But he said,
‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them,
‘Have you anything here to eat?’
And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.

Then he told them,
‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms has to be fulfilled’.
He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them,
‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses to this.

The Gospel of the Lord    Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

20th April – WEDNESDAY IN THE EASTER OCTAVE

Today is the 36th death anniversary of my dear mother Mary. Here is a WhatsApp picture about the importance of remembering and praying for our deceased parents.

The Empty Tomb is a key part of the Easter Mystery of the Resurrection. Below is a painting of Saints Peter and John at the empty tomb (The Two Disciples at the Tomb by Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1906) as envisaged by last Sunday’s gospel. Peter’s facial appearance suggests that he does not yet appreciate the significance of the empty tomb and how it points most assuredly to the Resurrection; on the contrary John’s appearance suggests his belief in the Resurrection.

This is a joyful hymn celebrating the empty tomb, the Resurrection and ultimately Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

19th April – TUESDAY IN THE EASTER OCTAVE.

Yesterday I read an article that spoke about the effect that the Resurrection had on world history.

Yes, it primarily makes a difference in the lives of believing Christians. Secondarily however it has also made a big impact on the culture of the world, in its values – specifically in the importance of love and humanitarian outreach. In the ancient pagan world humanitarian values where sometimes in short supply: e.g. In Rome it was entertainment to see the ‘undesirables’ been thrown to the lions, literally!

This morning at Mass I read out in my homily this excerpt of the article. If you would like to read the whole article, visit https://excorde.org/2022/this-sunday-easter-in-our-time-of-apostasy-and-awakening.

Dominion is a 2019 book by Tom Holland — the British historian, not the Marvel actor. After studying ancient cultures in two previous books, he began to realize how much Jesus Christ and his followers reshaped morality worldwide, from the day the stone rolled away from the tomb to right now.

Holland is not himself a practicing Christian, but he understands why the Christian narrative is powerful. “The cross, that ancient implement of torture, remains what it has always been: the fitting symbol of the Christian revolution,” he writes. “It is the audacity of it — the audacity of finding in a twisted and defeated corpse the glory of the creator of the universe — that serves to explain, more surely than anything else, the sheer strangeness of Christianity, and of the civilization to which it gave birth.”

How powerful is the fact of the Resurrection? “It is manifest in the great surge of conversions that has swept Africa and Asia over the past century,” Holland writes, “and, in Europe and North America, [it is manifest] in the assumptions of many more millions who would never think to describe themselves as Christian [but who are still formed by Christian values of charity].”

18th April – MONDAY IN THE EASTER OCTAVE.

Today is the 28th anniversary of my dear grandfather and namesake.

There is so much to celebrate in Jesus’ Resurrection it is extended beyond Easter Sunday for a total of 8 days: this is what we call the ‘Easter Octave’. Indeed the larger Easter season extends till Pentecost and lasts for 50 days, a whole 10 days longer than the season of Lent.

This classical painting of the Resurrection speaks about Jesus’ victory transcending the world of his time and indeed all of history itself.

[The Resurrection of Christ (1499–1502) is an oil painting on wood by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael. The work is one of the earliest known paintings by the artist.]

This reflection for the 14th Station of the Cross speaks to the Resurrection as well.

Fourteenth Station  MY BODY IS PUT IN A TOMB

I had no grave of my own.  My body was laid in somebody else’s tomb.  Was it fitting that I be buried in a borrowed tomb?

I was always borrowing things.  I borrowed a crib in Bethlehem to be born.  I borrowed Peter’s boat to preach from. I borrowed a donkey to ride on when I came into Jerusalem.  I borrowed bread and wine to make my body move and my blood flow in history.  I borrowed thorns, wood and nails to redeem the universe.  Why should my burial be any different? I will go on borrowing things until the end of time, until I have borrowed them all and made them holy.  I will also borrow you.  You will be my tongue and my throat, parched.  You will be my hands and my feet, nailed.  You will be my head, thorned. You will be my side, lanced.  You will be my body, stripped.  You will be my corpse, buried.  And when the borrowing is over, you will be my brothers and my sisters, risen.

17th April – EASTER SUNDAY.

This quote from renowned Scripture scholar Scott Hahn sets the stage for what we are celebrating today.

Here is the aptly named Church of the Resurrection where I am currently assisting. The signs of spring are in clear view with the daffodils and pink cherry blossoms; all that’s missing are some newborn lambs! On the right of the church is the rectory where us four priests live.

Here is my homily that was given at last night’s Easter Vigil and this morning’s 8:45am Masses.

A really big idea in history – at least the history of our western world – is the ‘Year 0’. The ‘Year 0’ is of course the arrival of the second person of the Blessed Trinity in our world and history. As we say in the Angelus: The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.

Thus we have BC, the time Before Christ – and we have AD, the time after Christ. AD comes from the  Latin Anno Domini, meaning Year of Our Lord. We see everything as changing at this centre-point in history.

But if you stop and think about it, this ‘Year 0’ didn’t really bring any substantial improvement for humanity. In the years immediately after Jesus’ arrival, death was still the ultimate road block to human fulfilment and progress; death was still the ultimate black hole that marked the end of our individual lives.

If I was back in earlier times when the calendar was being arranged and I happened to be in charge – like being the pope or emperor(!) – I would have done things differently. I would have positioned the ‘Year 0’, the centre point of history, some 33 years later to coincide with Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, rather than with his birth.

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection was the ultimate game changer because it marked the definitive victory over sin and death. Death would no longer be the Big End of our existence.

This game changing event began on Good Friday when Jesus died on the Cross. His perfect sacrifice of love was so powerful, it made atonement for the sins of everybody who would ever live. This included the sins of Hitler, Stalin, the Khmer Rouge and all the other blood soaked despots of our history. It also included my sins and the sins of all you present here today.

The fruit of this universal sacrifice of atonement was made evident in Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. This victory over death was manifest in the Empty Tomb.

In the gospel passage we heard about the stupendous discovery of the Empty Tomb by St Mary Magdalen, St Peter and St John. Initially they just don’t make sense of it and assume that Jesus’ body has been stolen. St John is the first one to join the dots together and believe that Jesus has indeed come back from the dead.

This isn’t just good news for Jesus! This Resurrection, this life beyond death, is offered to us too! This good news is well expressed in the beautiful BROKEN CHAIN POEM which you may have heard in funerals and it can be found easily on the internet. In Ireland it is found on headstones and memorial cards. Let me read the final verse: “Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same. But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.”

When I was young my family chain included my two parents and two grandparents. These four links have now disappeared. My Christian hope allows me to look to a future time in the Kingdom of God when these links / relationships will be restored in a new and transformed way.

What do I have to do in this life so that my Christian hope can be fulfilled? The primary thing I have to do is to BELIEVE in Jesus and be faithful to the gospel. Yes, it is important to be a nice and loving person but this is second to the power of knowing and believing in Jesus. As we heard from St Peter in today’s first Reading: “all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name” and thus will they be reconciled to God.

This is the reason why we as Catholic Christians commit ourselves to daily prayer and thus grow in friendship with God. Pope Benedict tells us that “Christianity is basically friendship with God.” The way we grow in friendship with anybody is to talk to them and spend time in their presence.

Secondly, it is the reason why we attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days and thus fulfil Jesus’ Last Will and Testament: DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME. At Mass we remember with gratitude Jesus’ Death and Resurrection and the salvation that he made possible.

Thirdly it is the reason why we live by the Ten Commandments which are God’s truth for right living and the way to love God and our neighbour.

I want to sum things up today with a picture because a picture paints a thousand words. I got this last week by WhatsApp and it can be seen on the notice board along with a download link (www.tiny.cc/EASTERPIC) if you’d like your own copy. In the picture Jesus is walking out of the tomb surrounded by bright light. The caption says this: 4200 WORLD RELIGIONS / BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE EMPTY TOMB / THERE IS ONLY ONE MAN WHO CONQUERED SIN, DEATH AND HELL FOREVER / THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO HEAVEN / HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST.

16th April – HOLY SATURDAY.

The vigil Mass of Holy Saturday is the traditional time (at least for adult catechumens) to receive Baptism. This is the sacrament that joins us to the saving Death and Resurrection of Jesus. As the following image from renowned Scripture scholar Scott Hahn says: the new divine life we receive in Baptism is so much more that the physical life restored to Lazarus when he was resuscitated by Jesus. The caption is well worth pondering.

Holy Saturday is also a day of waiting – waiting at the tomb for the Resurrection that according to some traditional sources happened at 3am on Easter Sunday morning. This reflection for the 13th Station of the Cross is apt.

Thirteenth Station I AM TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS.

The noise has stopped.   Mary and a few faithful disciples take me from the cross.  They say nothing.  They do nothing, except, with hearts aching, hold my limp body.  All is silent.

You may have been taught that being my disciple is an active role.  The more you do to improve yourself, the Church and the world, the better.  There are times when you must work, but there are even more crucial times when you must say nothing and do nothing except be with me, your heart aching, as Mary and the faithful disciples after the crucifixion. I had asked some of my Apostles to be with me during my agony in the garden.  But they were so depleted from talking, walking, planning and worrying that they quickly feel asleep.  Not even one of them had the energy left to be with me.  How often that has happened through the centuries! After my crucifixion, my disciples waited and in silence.  Some were closer to me then than before.  Do I have to die to get you to listen and love in silence?

15th April – GOOD FRIDAY.

This morning I attended a STATIONS OF THE CROSS at the White Plains Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. It was led by Fr Laurence of the CFR friars.

This may come across as ‘radical’. In the US Church I’ve always been impressed by its relative courage and sense of prophesy: prophesy simply means ‘speak for’ – God – and particularly in unpopular circumstances. This is a link to the Denver archbishop who recently led a Eucharistic procession around the local abortion clinic: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/denver-archbishop-leads-eucharistic-procession-around-planned-parenthood-abortion-clinic/

The Divine Mercy Novena begins today. We say the chaplet along with the corresponding novena prayers that can be found here: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/novena

This song reminds us about the sacred duty we have to remember Jesus’ sacrifice of love on the first Good Friday. It employs images from The Passion of the Christ film. Of course the primary way in which we do this is to attend Holy Mass.