"Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." (Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI)

This year in a little more than three short months we will have celebrated Jesus' life, from his incarnation through his resurrection; celebrations which enable us to emotionally and spiritually walk with Jesus and his disciples through their life and struggles. At Christmas our hearts filled with joy as we contemplate a love so great. During Holy Thursday our hearts alternately warm and chill as we experience the inauguration of the Eucharist, and hear the warning of Jesus' upcoming betrayal. Our hearts become burdened with heaviness when on Good Friday we recall Jesus' arrest and abusive trial and crucifixion, even while we know "the rest of the story." Then in the Easter vigil and celebration we are able to exalt in Jesus' resurrection and victory over sin, death, and Satan. We rejoice knowing that death is destroyed once and for all and that we have new life through faith in Jesus' merits.

Sadly, for many, the story of Jesus' life cycle ends on Easter morning, whereas it should be the beginning of life, "a new horizon and a decisive direction," which we should be experiencing in the future. What are we celebrating if we are not celebrating entrance into a new way of living? How tragic it would have been for the disciples to have participated in this fateful week in Jesus' life, and to have walked away unchanged. How tragic it would have been if they simply returned to their homes, and picked up their lives where they left off before they met Jesus. Would it be possible to really comprehend these truths, celebrate them, and walk away unchanged by them? I think not.

There are two expected changes that are fully recognizable in reading the Gospel of Jesus' life. The message "Peace be with you" is present from the beginning to the end. No more should our lives be characterized by fear; fear of God, fear of death, fear of retribution, or fear of powerlessness in our lives to overcome darkness. As we contemplate the finished work of Christ and entrust ourselves to him, we will see a diminishing of fear and an upsurging of peace filling our being.

A second change should come about as we grasp Jesus' statement, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." This commission provides purpose and direction for a life time. No more must we wander meaninglessly about, trying to discover why we exist, or what is our purpose. Jesus' resurrection and this commission he gave provide the ultimate promotion--to be ambassadors of Christ in a world that lives in the darkness from which we have been delivered. We have become carriers of forgiveness to a world experiencing the effects of condemnation.

If we walk away unchanged, only to experience life as do the non-believers around us, we are missing out, really missing out. Jesus truly offers us "eternal life," not simply a life that never ends, but a new life, a life with new attitudes, with a new spirit, with new power over sin, with new relationships in a new family. We need not walk away unchanged. We can continue to walk with the disciples emotionally and spiritually for the remainder of our life. The process for us is the same as it was for the disciples. As Pope Benedict explains we are to maintain a "constant renewal of this encounter" with Jesus, allowing him to breathe into us life with a new horizon and decisive direction; to carry his message of love into the world.

 "The word of God makes us change our concept of realism: the realist is the one who recognizes in the word of God the foundation of all things." (Verbum Domini)

Have you ever been in a place where all light was obscured? It is disconcerting isn't it? I've experienced this disconcerting darkness on a moonless summer night, walking on an unlit Colorado dirt road. The majestic evergreens and the sandstone rock formations obscured all real and all ambient light, creating a black cavern of uncertainty. We could not see where the dirt roadside ended and the steep sides of the perilous ditch began. Consequently, progress was slow as we carefully walked along feeling with our feet for the road's edge. For the person without wisdom, life is equally as perilous and confusing. As one progresses through life the absence of wisdom, God's light on our human darkness, quickly magnifies the dangers  and confusion.

By contrast the presence of God's light makes even the darkest hours light. On another occasion at 3:00 a.m. on a Colorado mountainside, some 11,000 feet in elevation, all darkness was dispelled by the large, brilliant, illuminating full moon. Though we were in the deepest  hours of night's darkness, this heavenly light was so illuminating that we could have literally read a book without difficulty. This too is a good analogy about God's wisdom. When we are immersed in situations that normally would be dark and confusing, the heavenly presence of God's wisdom, dispels the darkness, and enlightens our path.

These two contrasting analogies are not an overstatement, or an over-simplification of the value of wisdom. Though wisdom doesn't enable a person to escape the difficulties and challenges of life, wisdom does enable us to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and provides enlightening direction when choices must be made. On the other hand a foolish person, one who does not avail himself of God's wisdom, suffers both confusion and the consequences of bumbling responses to life's choices, made without light.

Where does one get wisdom? It comes from dwelling in the presence of Wisdom. Saint Cyprian explains it well, "The commands of the Gospel are nothing else than God's lessons, the foundations on which to build hope, the support for strengthening faith, the food that nourishes the heart. They are the rudder for keeping us on the right course, the protection that keeps our salvation secure. As they instruct the receptive minds of believers on earth, they lead safely to the Kingdom of God."

We make ourselves available to soak in, and absorb wisdom as we make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit through sacred Scripture, and to wisdom which come through godly people. Insight becomes second nature, as we become "partakers of the divine nature," (2 Peter 1:3-4) through knowledge of Jesus, and as we learn from God's truth and see life from God's perspective. St. James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him."

Wouldn't you love to know more of what Jesus talked about with his disciples during the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension? We do know that whatever it was, it changed them from  being frightened and fear-filled disciples to people of courage as they proclaimed Christ.

Additionally, during those forty days when Jesus "continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3 NJB), they became accustomed to celebrating the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week instead of simply attending temple worship. Consequently, in those early days after Jesus' ascension the disciples saw abundant conversions among the people, and those converted "remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of the bread and prayers" (Acts 2:42 NJB).

In the Gospels' accounts of Jesus' life we see that much of his ministry, including his post resurrection ministry, revolved around shared meals. Some meals were simple, others elaborate. Some were with friends, others with strangers. Some were with saints, others with sinners. Yet all the meals Jesus shared with others had one thing in common: each meal was an invitation to friendship with the Son of God.

For instance Peter, undoubtedly dejected by Jesus' death and his own failure in denying Jesus, decided, "I am going fishing," and his companions the other disciples agreed to go with him and keep him company. After a night of failure, and with a boat empty of fish, the risen Lord confronted his friends' sorrow and toil with his own power and abundance. He called to them and advised "throw the net out to starboard" (John 21:6 NJB) and they pulled in an abundance of fish so plentiful that it was amazing that their nets did not break.

By the time they returned to shore Jesus already had a charcoal fire burning in preparation for breakfast and offered them some fish he had prepared. The Lord matched the abundance of their catch with the abundance of his love. Instead of rebuke, Peter found reconciliation. Jesus restored community with Peter and his disciples--and restored their hope as well, by entrusting to them the task of world evangelization and the responsibility to feed his followers.

We cannot know all that Jesus did during those forty days, but we can respond to what we know. We know his love is abundant, that it includes all the world, and that he gives to each of us who belong to his Church a responsibility to participate in the task of evangelization. The forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension changed the lives of the disciples--will it change your life?

(You can learn more about this important  period in the life of Jesus by completing The Words of the Risen Christ bible study offered by Emmaus Journey.)

Easter was a time when disappointment was turned to delight, and delight was turned to destruction.

Surely Satan and the forces of evil must have thought they had won. And if the forces of evil could have danced, surely they must have been dancing on that day when that they thought they had killed the Son of God. Darkness seemed to have been reigning supreme from the time when Judas and an armed consort came to arrest Jesus. They came under the cloak of darkness, a darkness intended to provide cover for their evil intentions and sadly it also provided cover for the shameful abandonment of Jesus by his disciples. Even Peter had to slink away into the darkness to hide his shame.

How Satan and the forces of evil must have rejoiced as “from noon onward there was darkness over the whole land,” until at last Jesus “gave up His spirit.” How they must have believed that this darkness was just a foretaste of the spiritual darkness which would envelope the earth unabated by the Light of the World. But God had another plan and turned their delight to disappointment. Darkness instead of triumphing over Jesus simply provided a backdrop against which the dawning of the Light of the World could shine with increasing glory.

While darkness still seemed to reign, Mary Magdalene and her companions, and later Peter and John, came “while it was still dark” only to find an empty tomb. Disappointment upon disappointment, or so it seemed at first, but when they realized that the face cloth was separate from the other burial wrappings, a ray of hope and light pierced the darkness, never to be extinguished again. It was a ray of hope and light which was to grow in brilliance as Christ’s resurrection became known and understood. Praise God, disappointment is turned to delight!

“The New Testament writers speak as if Christ’s achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the ‘first fruits’, the ‘pioneer of life.’ He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the Prince of Darkness, the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened,” (C.S. Lewis, from Miracles)

Jesus anticipated and warned them of their disappointment; “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful.” (Jn 16:20) but he also promised that “your sorrow will turn into joy.” Wouldn’t you love to know more of what Jesus did during the forty days after his resurrection? Whatever he said, and whatever he did, enabled them to return to Jerusalem with great joy. (Lk 11:52) Most people are sorrowful when a loved one departs for heaven, but it was not so with Jesus’ disciples. They understood that his resurrection and ascension into heaven opened the door for the Trinity to forever be with them and all who believe. So their great sorrow was turned into everlasting delight.

Wherever, or whenever, you are experiencing great darkness of the soul, Jesus is there, a Light shining in darkness. He can turn our disappointment to delight. The resurrection not only holds the promise of eternal life, but also the promise that Satan and the forces of evil will not prevail in our lives. In Christ, you are a new creation, and you can experience the joy of living as a new creation let the LIGHT so shine.

The Season of Lent is a time when we should reflect more deeply on our life in Christ as Catholic Christians. It should be a time of reflection not one of morbid introspection. In some ways it is not unlike the other “lint” we encounter in life. Prior to an important event or meeting it is not unusual to scrutinize our clothing to see if there are any spots or if we have picked up any lint on our clothing, so that we can remove it and be more presentable. It is not as though we were wearing dirty rags, but simply that we want to make sure that our clothing hasn’t picked up unseemly bits of dirt as we have navigated through our world. So we take a moment to check our clothing.

I am reminded of Ephesians 4 where St. Paul wrote to the church and made three suggestions on how they can scrutinize their life and prepare for representing Christ in their world. The end result he sought for was not to simply focus on their shortcomings but to focus on becoming consistent with the new nature of Christ which they had received. He advised them to:

• Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,
• and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
• and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Lent is a time to make a few changes to our spiritual clothing. It is a time to discover those pieces of the old nature which are still clinging to us and to wholeheartedly “put off” those things. That is one reason why so much emphasis is put on participating in the Rite of Reconciliation (Confession) at the beginning of Lent. The Church is concerned that, especially during this time leading up to the memorial of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, that we reflect on our lives, name those things that are adversely affecting our relationship with Christ, and his Church, and abandon them. The process sometimes can be very difficult  but the results are refreshing and life giving.

Lent should be a time of personal and spiritual renewal.  We cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this process when we chose a Lenten fast of some kind to awaken within us a deeper awareness of Christ, and when we take time to read sacred Scripture more attentively, attend the Sacraments more frequently, give more generously, and pray more faithfully. Many have found it very helpful to be part of a small-group where they study and discuss something like our Seven Last Words of Christ bible study. Instead of simply giving up coffee or chocolates, etc., they chose to give up an hour a week to discuss Christ’s Passion. As they do they discover that the small faith community experience greatly stimulates their desire to know and follow Christ. The “be renewed” element is an essential part of the experience of Lent.

Out of this time of renewal we are then able to more fully “put on” the new nature of Christ and be ready to celebrate his resurrection, not only at Easter but also thereafter, as we go forth into the world to be his disciple and represent him. This putting on the new nature is a gift given to us by Christ. Our eyes light up when we discover that someone has bought a new item of clothing for us, and Lent should be no different. It should be a time of anticipation as we wait to see with what new aspect of his nature Jesus desires to clothe us during our Lenten journey.

I pray that for you this Lenten Season will be more life changing than any previous one.

Over the past 10 years, as I have shared with friends and acquaintances some of the exciting ministry taking place within the Catholic Church, I have used the expression “evangelical Catholic.” When I do, invariably someone will reply, or imply, “Isn’t that an oxymoron?” — a contradiction in terms. It is fun and sometimes a challenge to assure them that it isn’t an oxymoron but that Catholics are increasingly in the forefront of evangelization.

 The term “evangelical” can have various shades of meaning but by in large it refers to a Christian who is committed to the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by word and deed. This evangelical imperative provoked Pope Paul VI to ask in 1975, “Does the Church or does she not find herself better equipped to proclaim the Gospel and to put it into people’s hearts with conviction, freedom of spirit and effectiveness?” Catholics did not turn away from this question but in response spawned many movements within the Catholic Church that have provided a new surge of evangelical activity by Catholic men and women.

 Though there was a new surge in response to Pope Paul’s encyclical, being evangelical was not a new thing for Catholics. For instance, Bishop Sheen pioneered religious radio in 1950, speaking to more than 4 million listeners in the States and receiving in response as many as 6,000 letters a day, with one third of them coming from non-Catholics. He provided the first-ever religious telecast and his program, Life is Worth Living, reached approximately 30 million people each week. Bishop Sheen “had a deep passion for helping others find faith” and to see lives changed by Christ. He believed, “ ‘Conversion’ in Greek is metanoia, or a complete turning around from the direction which we are facing. . . . Conversion is an experience in no way related to the upsurge of the subconscious into consciousness; it is a gift of God, an invasion of a new Power, the inner penetration of our spirit by the Spirit and the turning over of a whole personality to Christ.”

 He traversed the world and had many fabulous, and some quite funny, personal encounters sharing Christ. Always warmly direct, he once was confronted by a young woman whose opening challenge was, “I am an atheist. What are you going to do about it?” He simply answered, “I’ll bet you a dime you cannot give me three good arguments for atheism; if you do, I will find three answers in a book that was written seven hundred years ago.” Well she couldn’t come up with three arguments and he spent the next year instructing her in the faith until she came to Christ.

 A more humorous and less successful encounter took place with some boys he met in Philadelphia. He asked the boys for directions to Town Hall. When the boys asked him what he was going to do there he explained that he was going to give a lecture.

 “On what?” they asked.

 “Boys, I’m going to talk on Heaven and how to get there. Would you like to come and find out how?”

 The boys replied incredulously, “You don’t even know the way to Town Hall.”

 Most of us will never be a Bishop Sheen, or a John Paul II, or a St. Ignatius, but we can still be, and we must be, evangelical Catholics. The world is a dark and dangerous place spiritually. On one hand, worldwide crises like terrorism, abortion, and the potential of nuclear proliferation capture people’s attention and raise their concerns. On the more personal level, lack of meaning and values in people’s lives are resulting in an increase of hedonism, drug addition, and materialism, which is destroying lives and society. Now more than ever before, the imperative to believe the Gospel, live the Gospel, and share the Gospel should grip our lives and give us purpose. “For it is only in the Christian message that modern man can find the answers to his questions.”

 The real oxymoron is the “non-evangelical Catholic,” since, “The presentation of the Gospel message is not an optional contribution for the Church [you and me]. It is the duty incumbent on her [us] by the command of the Lord Jesus, so that people can believe and be saved. This message is necessary. It is unique. It cannot be replaced. It does not permit either indifference, syncretism or accommodation. It is a question of people’s salvation.” The Catholic who is not evangelical about sharing his faith lives in contradiction to his baptismal vows and to his weekly reception and profession of Christ.Being an evangelical Catholic doesn’t necessarily involve going to foreign lands, or starting great movements. It simply involves representing Jesus with a smile, a word of encouragement, and talking about his message of hope in a joyful, loving, and warmly direct way. When we are faithful to do and be a person like this who reaches out to others, spanning the gulf of indifference and uncaring, we do in fact become an evangelical Catholic.

 Quote 1,3,4 come from Evangeiil Nuntiandi, Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Paul VI.

Quote 2  regarding Bishop Sheen are taken from, Treasures in Clay, by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.