Fourth Thursday of Easter (John 13:16-20) “Jesus is and Always Will Be”
Fourth Thursday of Easter (John 13:16-20) “Jesus is and Always Will Be”
The last three weeks of Lent we read every day from the Gospel of John. Almost every day of the Easter Season we read from the Gospel of John. If we attend daily Mass, we might say to ourselves, “I just heard that Gospel a couple weeks ago.” And we would be right.
Why does the Church repeat readings before and after Easter? It is to reflect the experience of the early church. The disciples of Jesus heard his words when he walked the earth and they had an interpretation of those words as they listened to Jesus.
But after the resurrection of Jesus, the preaching of Jesus had another meaning. We have the Jesus of history, the human Jesus, who could be experienced in a very physical way. He was seen as a man, an extraordinary man, but a human being none the less.
Encountering the post resurrection Jesus was a different experience. His words took on a whole new meaning. We could say that the Jesus the disciples met after the resurrection was the Cosmic Christ. People came to understand that Jesus was supernatural. He always was and always will be.
In the passages we read from John this time of year, we are told by Jesus that he and the Father are one. Both the Father and the Son had been together from the beginning. When Jesus spoke, the Father was speaking. Jesus uses the title I AM in this passage from John. And this is a clear statement that he is God. I AM is the title God used to describe himself to Moses.
Jesus is called the Cosmic Christ by some theologians. What do they mean by this? What they mean is that Jesus is in all of creation. The Incarnation (birth of Jesus) touched the whole material world. Jesus came to “redeem the world.”
We can appreciate that idea during these heady days of Spring when there is new life bursting forth all around us. Each beautiful flower and every baby animal we see is a sign of the Cosmic Christ. He is every where in everything. He is one with us. Which means, that we need not fear sickness or death because we have been given everlasting life in Christ.
Reflection Questions:
1. The Gospel passage today refers to washing. The washing is not just about feet, but it is also about something else. What is does this washing represent? And what does it mean to me to be washed clean.
2. We are one with Jesus. What does this oneness mean to me? Can this unity that I have with Jesus ever be taken away?
Dear Parishioners,
People often ask me when we will be able to worship together again. Our governmental leaders and our Bishops are trying to come up with procedures so that we might reopen. As we might imagine, this is not easy.
What are the some of the moral principles that will guide us. One thing that will influence us is that we believe as Christians that every human life is precious. If someone’s life is in danger, we do not want to gather as a group. Another thing that guides is the principle of the common good. If there is a danger of someone getting sick, we will be reluctant to call people back to worship.
We can get the impression that certain lives are important while other lives are not. Personal freedom is not a principle that supersedes all others in the Catholic mindset. Christians are always concerned about the weak and the vulnerable. We will try to be aware of all the moral implications of our actions in the days to come. This will require prayerful discernment based on scientific knowledge. Let’s continue to pray that our leaders will have wisdom from above.
May our Lady and all the angels and saints intercede for us.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Remember to submit name of mothers for this weekend’s liturgies. We will pray for all mothers who have died and gone before us. Just call our office if you would like to have someone prayed for or email us at shchurhc@sacredheartmoline.org .