The Good Word

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Hello and welcome to the Word, bringing you the Good News of Jesus Christ every day from the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is Thursday of the Second Week of Easter.Our reading from the holy gospel according to John.The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.The gospel of the Lord.Some passages of the gospel according to John, like today’s passage, seem like riddles. The center of today’s passage is Jesus’ affirmation that “the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” In essence, Jesus is telling us that there is something special about a person who believes in Jesus as the Son of God who took on our mortal human flesh, that is lacking in a person who does not believe.A believer has a different way of looking at the world and of relating to other people that is formed by grace, by the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the way of looking and relating as Jesus does. It is seeing with the eyes of God.This does not mean that a non-believer cannot see the beauty of creation or relate well with other people, because God does not ration his gift of the Spirit, but there will be something missing. Also, a non-believer would have less to draw him or herself out of a self-centered viewpoint, and could become more subject to hatred, partiality and prejudice. At the same time, not all who call themselves believers see and relate with and through Jesus. Unless the believer makes the effort to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and opens his or her heart to the gift of the Holy Spirit, their lives will be governed more by the ways of this world than the way of Jesus Christ. Faith is not just a question of accepting Jesus Christ as one’s savior, it is uniting one’s mind and heart with the mind and heart of Jesus. Saint Paul calls it putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that it is no longer I who live, but he who lives in me.We see this played out in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The apostles, having received the gift of the Holy Spirit had been teaching the people, curing the sick and driving out demons. For this they had been thrown in prison, but God’s angel had freed them and told them to return to teaching the people in the temple. Now they have been brought before the council of the Sanhedrin. These are the same ones who had condemned Jesus to death and had ordered the apostles not to preach in his name. They were so concerned about their own position and power that they could not see the good that the apostles were doing in Jesus’ name, and wanted to condemn them to death. The apostles, however, simply responded: "We must obey God rather than men,” and recounted how God had raised Jesus from the dead and made him savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. They were witnesses to this as was the Holy Spirit who acted in power through them and through all those who obey God.The Sanhedrin wondered at the courage and determination of the apostles and after giving them a beating, let them go. The apostles simply praised God for being found worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. It was a reaction incomprehensible to the members of the Sanhedrin, but was considered normal for a believer by Luke, who tells us the story.We, too, will find a different kind of power in our lives if we put on the Lord Jesus, and open our hearts to the prompting of the Spirit. There is something different about those who believe. May God bless you.Rev. Karl E. Esker CSsROLPH Basilica – Brooklyn, NY

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“Do not be afraid.” This verse is repeated two times in the Gospel reading tonight and 365 times in the Bible. What is Jesus referring to? Death comes to mind. We are afraid about being a burden to others. We fear the pain that might be involved in dying. We may be fearful of past sins that cannot be undone. We worry if we have done enough to deserve heaven. We may fear the judgment to come or an injustice that we face now. We are full of fears and worries, anxiety and angst. That is why Jesus’ words are so necessary and comforting. We truly have nothing to fear. Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus (whom he raised from the dead): “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). When Jesus says that we will never die, it does not mean that our hearts will not stop beating or our brains cease to function. (John’s Gospel always has several layers of meaning.) It means that at the moment of our earthy death, we continue to live in God. Jesus has promised (John 14:1-3): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” Jesus has had the most remembered death in history. Through his death and resurrection he proved that violence, injustice, and sin will be silenced and overcome. In the graciousness and gentleness he manifested, he proved that anonymity and powerlessness have been turned into immortality and power. When we close our eyes in death, we will open them to a bright Easter morning. We will hear the Lord say: “Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come. For see, the winter is past; the rains are over and gone” (Song of Songs 2:10-11). In the loving union of that encounter, all heartbreak will be redeemed and we will experience perfect joy. Alleluia. Alleluia. Easter Blessings,Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

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