Jesus takes away our grave clothes, too – Luke 24:1-12

Easter Sunday, Year C [Mass during the day, but I used the Vigil Gospel]; Holy Infant parish.

Our gospel ends with Peter amazed. Actually, in Greek, it says that he went away “marveling to himself.” I love that. Just imagining him walking and marveling. Like, his legs are keeping moving, but in his mind, and in his heart, all that he can think, all that he can feel, is “Wow.” Our gospel ends with Peter amazed, but I’d like to encourage us to read the whole thing amazed.

Jesus labors to bring the Church to birth – John 18:1-19:42

Good Friday; Holy Infant.

When the fire broke out at Notre Dame earlier this week, I was actually rather surprised by how many people seemed to be touched, moved, grieved by it. My facebook feed was full of people who felt a need to share something about it; Catholics, but also non-Catholic Christians, people of other faiths, and people with no religious commitments at all. I think there’s just something basically human about grieving the loss or potential loss of beauty like that. I’m reminded of the rallying cry of the early 20^th Century American Labor movement: “give us bread, but give us roses too.” Stomachs can hunger, but so can hearts. Beautiful places of worship can often be among the few places of beauty where people in poverty are actually welcomed.

Jesus brings us back to the Father – Luke 22:14-23:56, Phil 2:6-11

Palm Sunday, Year C; Holy Infant parish.

Luke shows what Paul tells.

Paul, when he writes to the Philippians, tells them how much God in Christ desired to be close to humanity, tells that there was nothing Jesus wouldn’t do, that he would even empty his very self, so that could be with us, be human with us.

God sends us to the goal of glory – John 8:1-11, Isa 43:16-21, Phil 3:8-14

5th Sunday of Lent, Year C; Holy Infant parish.

The saddest thing about this gospel is that they walked away, these people with stones in their hands.  And there’s pretty stiff competition for the saddest thing about this gospel.  There’s the fact that there were going to stone a woman to death.  There’s their desire to test Jesus.  There’s the possibility that an act of adultery had been occurring, and the (worse) possibility that their accusations were false.  There is a lot to lament in this Gospel, about this happening retold to us, and about people and events in our lives whose memories it evokes.  But, I still contend that the saddest thing about this gospel is that they walked away, these people with stones in their hands.

God feeds us for joy – Luke 15:1-3. 11-32

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C; Holy Infant Parish.

Did you know that baby flamingoes are born with grey feathers?  They only become pink because their diet is rich in a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin, which is found both in brine shrimp and, somewhat paradoxically in blue-green algae.  Zoo flamingoes used to lose their acquired pinkness until zookeepers realized that they had to provide them with artificial sources of canthaxanthin.  As with flamingoes, so with us: we are what we eat.

God gives us time – Luke 13:1-9, Exod 3:1-15

3rd Sunday in Lent, Year C; Holy Infant.

Today’s gospel forever takes away our right to victim blame. That goes for victim-blaming ourselves as much as it does for assuming that anyone else who suffers injury “had it coming.”

Jesus’ glorious word sustains us on our walk –Luke 9:28b-36

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C; Holy Infant parish.

I spoke to someone recently who has decided that for Lent he would look at some of his wedding photos every day. Not because this was an unpleasant penance… our Lenten observances aren’t meant to be as arduous as possible, they’re meant to be things that make us holier. In this case, the idea was that going back and looking at a beautiful beginning was meant to be inspire him to live his marriage vows more ardently.