Fr. Rick Spicer

Fr. Anthony de Mello, one of my favorite spiritual writers, once said, “When you speak about reality, you are attempting to put the inexpressible into words, so your words are certain to be misunderstood.” He then illustrated his point with this example.

A village blacksmith found an apprentice willing to work hard for low pay. The smith immediately began instructing the lad. “When I take the metal out of the fire, I will lay it down on the anvil, and when I nod my head, you will hit it with the hammer.” The apprentice did precisely what he thought he was told. Needless to say, the next day he was the village blacksmith.

Sometimes we are victims of misunderstandings because what we said is not always heard by the other who was “listening.” How often, for example, have you as parents heard your children moan, “You just don’t understand me!” I imagine many husbands and wives feel their spouses really don’t understand them either.  As precise as our language may be, we can easily fail to understand what the other person is endeavoring to say.  Fortunately, one does not have to fully understand someone in order to love that person. In one of her letters, Flannery O’Connor wrote, “I love a great number of people, but I understand none of them.”

That could be said for how many of us feel about God. We love God, otherwise we would not be here on this beautiful sunny day but how readily do we understand God, especially the mystery of the Holy Trinity? From the beginning, Christians have recognized that God was not one being as evidenced in Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth when he wrote, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

Down through the ages, the greatest minds in church history have tried to comprehend the mystery of the Holy Trinity: we believe in one God, not three, yet this one God we believe in has three persons. How can there be three persons, each with a divine nature, each infinite, yet distinct from the other two, and still claim to be one God?

Amongst the first theologians to attempt an explanation of this mystery was St. Augustine. According to legend, as he was walking along the beach, he encountered a child pouring buckets of water from the sea into a hole dug in the sand. When asked what she was doing, the girl explained that she was going to put the whole sea into the hole. “But that isn’t possible,” St. Augustine protested, “The sea will never fit into that hole!”  The little girl replied, “But it is easier to put the sea into this little hole than for you to understand the Holy Trinity!”

We have heard of or resonated with other images that explain the Trinity such as St. Patrick and his three leaf clover. Closer to home, you may have noticed the round table in the narthex that holds the statue of St. Anne. If I were to remove any one of the three legs, the remaining two legs would not support the marble top.  Likewise, the Trinity celebrates the truth that one person cannot exist without the support of the other two. The Father cannot be a father without a son; the son would have no existence without the Father, and the Spirit is the bond of love between them.

In his letter, John gives us the best definition of God we can have, “God is love.”  Since we are created in the image of God, the very nature of God implies that interpersonal relationships are very much a part of our being. We are shaped by the relationships in our lives.

Rather than picture God as some silent, bearded ancient overweight guru sitting on a distant mountain top, the more fitting image of God would be three friends closely interacting with one another.

If God is so close to us and loves us so dearly, why then is the world filled with so much misery, evil, misfortune, and injustice? Why are we left feeling as though there is so little goodness in our midst? The truth is the world is filled with much more love and goodness than we sometimes realize. The devil is doing whatever is possible to convince us that God does not exist or that God does not love us and some people are convinced of that, judging by the headlines that daily speak to us of tragedy, terror, violence, and events that disrupt the serenity of our times.  However, keep in mind that headlines speak to us of the unusual, not the ordinary things that happen. In other words, there is much more love and good in our midst than we realize or appreciate.

In essence, the inexpressible mystery of the Holy Trinity celebrates the goodness and love to be found in all of our relationships, both human and divine. A monk at St. John’s once shared in class this observation, “There is enough good in the worst of us to remind us that we are all made in the image of God. Unfortunately, there is also enough malice in the best of us to confirm that we are only an image.”

What we notice depends on what we choose to see in others. When we train ourselves to look for the good in those around us, we will discover that God is very much in our midst. When we choose not to see the good in others, then we are opting not to look for God.  Far from being impersonal, we can see that God is very personal, coming through to us in countless ways through the many relationships in our lives. No wonder, God is revealed to us as Trinity, three persons in one, for what better way is there to convey God’s true nature to us?
 

One word jumps out at me as I read this gospel, a word you don’t hear elsewhere in any gospel: orphans. “I will not leave you orphans,” Jesus tells his disciples. We typically think of orphans as children who have lost their parents either through death or desertion. Although I was 33 when my mother died, I felt like an orphan then because life did change when I buried her; without my parents, a chapter in my life had ended.

The thought of being alone can be frightening for most of us because we depend on one another to survive and thrive.  As we grow up, we never lose our need for attention, compassion, care and love. Life is full of relationships and love is what keeps the best of them going.  We cannot bear the notion of being alone.

The good news we hear from Jesus is that we will never be alone. Our relationship with him, his Father, and the Holy Spirit will never end. He speaks of an unconditional love that is ours when we come to realize the unique relationship that exists between the Father, him and us.

Many words can be used to describe love, but one that comes to mind in light of Jesus’ words is commitment. The most common example of that is found in marriage. When a man and woman fall in love with each other and decide to spend the rest of their lives together, they commit themselves to each other. They see themselves as belonging to one another. They expect each other to honor the vows made at their wedding until death do they part.

Some years ago, divers located a 400 year old sunken ship off the coast of Ireland. Among the treasures they found was a man’s wedding ring. When it was cleaned, the divers noticed an etching on the wide band of two hands holding a heart. Beneath the etching were the words, “I have nothing more to give to you.” That sounds like total commitment to each other, if you ask me. In healthy marriages, spouses are totally committed to each other.

That is what Jesus is trying to say to his disciples and to us in the gospel. He assures us that we will never be left alone. He is totally committing himself to us for all time. Are we just as committed to Jesus as he is to us?

When we are committed to any relationship, we care about the other person. The example that hits closest to home for most of us would be our families. Parents and children, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws usually have close relationships that reflect being committed to one another.

If we really love someone, we want to be linked with that person. That is what I hear Jesus saying here. He loves us and always wants to be with us. How then do we best connect with him? He tells us simply, observe my commandments. Coming together as a faith community to celebrate the Mass, a command that he voiced at the Last Supper, is what the Church has done ever since the first Easter. Through the Eucharist, Jesus stays with those who believe in him so that they never feel abandoned.

Relationships demand a sense of commitment if they are to survive. We know that first hand from the friendships in our lives. Those that are casual may not last for long, while those that last reflect the commitment two friends have for one another.

Knowing how committed Jesus is to us prompts the question, how committed are we to him and to the church which he founded, the church to which we belong? The Catholic Church has endeavored to proclaim the Good News of Christ from the very beginning to all corners of the world, living up to its name of being universal. The Catholic Church actively pursues this mission not only through our parish on the local level but also through the Archdiocese, which supports 63 vital ministries through the generous response of supporters like you and me. These ministries touch the lives of countless residents of Western Washington, reminding them that in the eyes of God, they are not orphaned. The annual appeal, for example, gives support to our hospital and jail ministries, retired priests and nuns, the formation of our seminarians and deacons in training, schools, Catholic Youth Organization, the tribunal, campus ministry, and Catholic Community Services.

The goal this year to make all this possible is nearly $10 million. That may sound monumental, but the goal can be achieved when everyone chips in. In his letter, Archbishop Brunett poses the question, “Would you be able to consider a pledge of $1 a day in support of the Catholic Church in Western Washington?” That pledge can be done over a span of time with monthly payments, the use of electronic fund transfer from your checking or savings account, the use of a credit card or even direct deposit from your bank. If you cannot give at this level, please know that every gift, no matter the amount, is greatly appreciated. If you are employed, see if your employer has a gift matching program to potentially double the amount of your donation.

Next Sunday is commitment Sunday. Please give prayerful thought to what you can give  to build a future full of hope and return your envelope then. If you are ready to make your pledge today, please drop your envelope in the collection basket. You need not include any payment at this time. Again, thank you for your generous response, which last year was the fifth highest in the archdiocese.  Your gift enabled us to acquire a generator, so there will be no more blackouts. This year, our rebate will be directed toward upgrading the heating and cooling system of the church and necessary repair work to the rectory that is long overdue. Last year, more than half of you responded; this year I hope everyone will respond, for believe it or not, we all do benefit when the Church is able to fulfill its many ministries. On behalf of the many whose lives you touch, thank you for honoring your commitment to the Church of Western Washington, for your gift does send the message that no one need feel orphaned.

From its earliest days the Church has had its share of scandals. The passage from Acts touches on the first one with its account of Greek widows being slighted. The apostles addressed the issue by ordaining seven men as deacons to serve the faith community.  As demonstrated by Pope Benedict on his visit to America, the Church still struggles with scandals today.

Many Catholics, laity and clergy alike, remain troubled, angered, and disturbed by the misconduct years ago of some priests and religious. Such conduct should not surprise us for no one in ministry is immune to the temptations of sin. Regrettably, some of my brother priests failed to live up to what we can rightly expect of anyone in ministry: living chaste and celibate lifestyles as a reflection that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.

Long before the clergy scandal surfaced in Boston, rocking the Church around the world, our local Church became aware of the tragedy of child sexual abuse. Twenty years ago, when three of our priests were removed from ministry, one was even sent to prison for what he had done. Since then, the Archdiocese of Seattle has endeavored to deal with those whose hearts were troubled by such pain and wrongdoing.  As some of us know personally from what our parish has experienced, there is always room for improvement on their part not only in addressing the wounds left behind but also in calling anyone in ministry to a greater accountability.  For this reason, we are hosting a “safe environment” workshop this afternoon for the staff and those who work with either children or vulnerable adults.

The essence of today’s gospel is this: we need direction in our lives, direction that only Jesus can provide. The church, both laity and clergy alike, is comprised of fragile, sometimes sinful men and women, with God-given free wills to plot and do evil. Sometimes they sin out of malice, and other times, out of loneliness, desire or weakness. After all, the same devil that tempted Judas to betray Jesus will keep working until the end of time, taking advantage of those who have no clear direction of how to find God in their lives.

Without directions to guide us, we can easily get lost in this maze called life. When we get lost on a trip, some of us are wise enough to ask for help. Thomas asked Jesus the question that we find ourselves asking over and over again as we venture through life. “How can we know the way?” Indeed, how can we know which way to go when our hearts are troubled or a difficult choice has to be made?

In reply, Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Having come from God, his Father, he knows the way. “No one,” Jesus points out, “comes to the Father except through me.” That may sound rather presumptuous, but what Jesus is saying makes sense. God as Father is encountered only through his son, Jesus Christ, for without the son; we cannot meet the Father. Jesus makes us aware of a relationship of unconditional love that cannot be found in any other depiction of God.

Not surprisingly, not everyone agrees with Jesus. Most people want to find God but some venture through life, following their own directions, or directions given them by others, but not those given by Jesus. In the gospels, we find numerous examples of people who wouldn’t follow Jesus for any number of reasons. They found his words impractical and simply ignored him. Even today, many people think that what Jesus has to say can be summed up as nice but out of sync with the times.

The words we hear today are not the words of a dreamer. Jesus came to tell his listeners and us, “This is the way it is folks, if you want to truly find God, this is the way to go. I am the way, and the truth and the life. Come to me through the good news of the gospel, the celebration of the sacraments, the breaking of bread in the Eucharist, and the lessons and truth that I pass on to you through the teachings of the Church.”

For any number of reasons, many former Catholics choose to distance themselves from the Church. Those who cannot or will not accept his message, proclaimed in the gospels and through the Church, are rejecting whom Peter calls the cornerstone.  They could very well find themselves stumbling through life. If they find their hearts troubled, they need to ask themselves, “Which way have I been going? How have I gone astray?” Sometimes pride stops them from fully appreciating all that Jesus comes to offer us.

Their pride reminds me of a beggar who weekly beseeched a wealthy philanthropist for charity. The man listened patiently to the beggar’s tale of woe and always graciously doled out a generous gift. One day, the philanthropist interrupted the beggar and said, “Listen, you know I will continue giving you a nice amount every week. You don’t have to convince me anymore. A little less cringing, a little less whining about your condition, and we would both be happier.” The beggar drew himself up to the full stature of his ragged pride. “My good sir,” he replied indignantly, “I don’t teach you how to be a millionaire; please don’t teach me how to be a beggar.”

Like the beggar, are we too proud to appreciate what Jesus is offering us? He comes to show us to way to the Father, the greatest philanthropist around. Are we following his directions or like Philip, are we still not getting the point of his lessons, going instead our own way?  By following Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, we become the “living stones” that Peter speaks of in his letter. This allows our hearts to be filled with a joy that comes only from having an intimate awareness of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Luke tells us Cleopas and his companion were downcast. Can you blame them? Their leader, Jesus, had been brutally killed and their dream of a liberated Israel shattered. That morning in the city they had heard the ludicrous news that some women had seen angels announcing that Jesus was alive, but that wasn’t enough to keep them in town.

Cleopas and his companion had, for whatever reason opted to return home to Emmaus instead of sticking around to find out more about the angel’s message. Some biblical scholars speculate that this symbolized their choice to go back to their old ways. Along the way, they encounter a man whom they did not recognize who engages them in a lively dialogue. One of them said something that catches my attention. “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.” Little did they realize that their dream had indeed come true, but not in the manner they were expecting.

In response, this stranger scolds them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” Still, these two disciples did not get the picture! His rebuke brings to mind the image of blinders. How often do we have blinders on which prevent us from seeing beyond what we want to see? I suspect more often than we care to admit.

When some people become disenchanted or disillusioned with what the Church has said or done, they walk away, like these two disciples did. Some quit attending Mass altogether.  They may be blaming God for their misfortune, such as an illness or an economic hardship or the death of a loved one or dismayed by some human element of the Church. Others will change to a different denomination, drawn perhaps by a charismatic preacher or a friend who has done the same thing.

What they leave behind is the opportunity to do what we have been doing since the first Easter in Emmaus, recognizing Jesus in the breaking of bread. If asked why they left, some former Catholics lament that they got nothing out of receiving communion. Might you be feeling the same way? Do you see communion simply as a time to come forth along with everyone else to receive a scrap of bread and a sip of wine or do you recognize Jesus in the breaking of bread as Cleopas and his companion did?

Perhaps Jesus could accuse some of us of being slow of heart as well in believing all that he has told us through the prophets and the apostles. If the celebration of the Mass has little appeal to you, consider this. Have you invited Jesus to stay with you? Consider this. If these two disciples had not invited Jesus to stay with them, he would have ventured on his way and they would have remained blind to all that had really happened.

The same holds true for us. For Jesus to become real, we must first invite him into our lives, a conscious choice that calls for faith and hospitality. Hospitality means making time for someone else. For God, we do that best through prayer and scripture. To better prepare yourself for Mass, I suggest that you take time to reflect on the readings beforehand.

So what does it take to recognize the Lord? The name for this sacrament provides a clue: gratitude. Our time together is called Eucharist, which in Greek means thanksgiving.  Yet how appreciative are we for what we have? When we are not thankful, we could easily grow resentful and envious, and that would definitely blind us to the presence of Jesus in our lives, a lesson one young woman learned from her sister in a way she never expected.

Corrie ten Boom caught the attention of the world with her story, The Hiding Place. Arrested for sheltering Jews in their home in Amsterdam in 1944, she and her sister, Betsie, were sent to a concentration camp. They were assigned to Barracks 28, a dismal building with broken windows, backed-up plumbing, rancid bedding and fleas.

Betsie constantly urged her sister to be grateful for all God’s gifts. “We must thank God for assigning us to the same barracks, and for the Bible which they allowed us to keep.” Her list went on and on. Corrie kept agreeing until her sister said fleas and there she objected. Betsie replied, “Scripture says we are to give thanks in all circumstances and fleas are part of this place where God has put us.” Later, after she was liberated, Corrie learned that Barracks 28 had more freedom than the other barracks did because it was crawling with fleas. For that reason, the Nazi supervisors had been reluctant to enter.

Perhaps due to circumstances in our lives, some of us may be feeling hard pressed to be grateful, so in our anger, we remain blind to the presence of Jesus in our midst. Maybe we feel disillusioned, as did these two disciples, because God isn’t answering our prayers in the way we want them to be answered. But walking away from God is not the solution.

Instead, if we want to be redeemed, we need to walk toward God. That is, we need to make more time for prayer in our lives, beyond the Mass. That can be done in so many ways, from sitting quietly and meditating, to taking a walk and savoring God’s presence in the beauty of creation, to picking up the Bible and reflecting on his divine message. Our hearts will burn within us when we invite Jesus to stay with us, so that he can have the chance to open our eyes to his awesome unconditional love.
 

Imagine yourself standing up here blindfolded. I have just placed a bucket in front of you. Without peeking, how can you tell if the bucket is empty of full of water? You could reach into the bucket to feel if there is any water in it. In other words, you could experience first hand if the bucket is empty or not.

Now if you didn’t want to get your hands wet, you could throw something into the bucket. If you heard a splash then you know the bucket isn’t empty. This approach to picking up knowledge is called reasoning.

A third way to discern if there is water in the bucket would be to ask someone you trust. That person could then look in the bucket and tell you if it is empty or full. This approach to learning is called believing.

Now, which of these three methods do we use most often for learning? Do we learn largely by experiencing things with our senses, by reasoning them with our minds, or by believing what others have told us?

If your answer is believing, you are right. Most of our knowledge comes from believing what others tell us. Perhaps we accept as much as 80% of our knowledge on the testimony of others. Much of our learning has been gained through the efforts of those who believe in what they have taught us.

For example, few of us have traveled around the world. Yet, we know that the world is round, not flat. Much, if not all, of what we know about any distant land is gleaned from what others have told us or from what we have learned with the use of books or films.  By and large, we are apt to believe what we’ve learned until something comes along to disprove the facts.

What is true of the way we acquire regular knowledge is even truer of the way we gain religious knowledge. Most of our religious knowledge is gained from believing what the scriptures tell us or from what others have told us. We are gathered here because what we have heard from others or read in scripture has commanded our attention sufficiently enough for us to come and see who this Jesus, now risen from the dead, really is.

For the sake of those who would not have the opportunity to personally experience the risen Lord, John shares the story of doubting Thomas in his gospel. For whatever reason we will never know, Thomas was not present with the others when Jesus first appeared to them in the upper room. He was understandably skeptical when the others told him what had happened. Wouldn’t you be just as doubtful, had you been in his sandals?

A week later, Thomas was with them when Jesus appears again. Notice that Jesus never criticized Thomas for doubting the other disciples. Instead, he said, “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Jesus knew the value of doubt as a tool for deepening one’s faith. When Thomas professes his belief, Jesus adds, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Aside from Thomas and the disciples, few people have had the chance to see firsthand the nail prints or touch Jesus’ wounds, but through the ages many, like you and me, have been moved to believe in the risen Lord on the faith of those who have shared the good news with them. While we do not have the opportunity to put our hands into Jesus’ side as Thomas did, we can and do put our trust in the testimony of scripture. We can go one step further and use our gift of reason to confirm what scripture tells us.

For example, could the early Church that we witness in the Acts of the Apostles have really existed had Jesus not risen from the dead? Something incredible had to have happened to transform these followers of Jesus Christ otherwise the impact of the apostles on history would have been short lived. Two thousand years later, the resurrection of Jesus continues to impact us.

When I think back on the number of classes I have taken in my lifetime, I confess that I have forgotten much of what I have learned for the simple reason that I have given little thought to them. I haven’t studied French since my freshman year of college forty years ago, so don’t count on me to accurately translate the menu in a French restaurant!

The same holds true for our religious knowledge. We are continually urged to grow in our faith through an ongoing deepening awareness of Jesus Christ and our faith through prayer, worship and study. That makes sense. The less we think about our faith, the more distant we could find ourselves from Christ. The more distant we become from Christ, the more likely we are to become indifferent to what Christ has truly done for us and his message of divine mercy. Look at it this way, think of the friends you have lost touch with over the years. A friendship that is not sustained eventually becomes a distant memory. That is a painful lesson we have learned from experience.

Opportunities abound for us to learn more about our faith.  Classes will be offered this spring on the gospel of Matthew and the early church. The Sunday forum is another means to update one’s faith.  It is never too late to learn more about our faith.

Poor Thomas often gets a bum rap for doubting his fellow disciples yet he grew in his faith, becoming, so far as we know, the first to proclaim Jesus as his Lord and God. May his example prompt us to question our faith so that in this Easter season in the classroom of our church we can see for ourselves that doubt can lead us to an even deeper faith than we ever imagined.