When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth.
-- George Bernard Shaw

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

St. John Chrysostom announces in this famous Easter sermon, all are invited to the feast:
"Let all then enter the joy of Our Lord! Both the first and the last, and those who come after, enjoy your reward! Rich and poor, dance with one another, sober and slothful, celebrate the day. Those who have kept the fast and those who have not, rejoice today, for the table is richly spread. Fare royally upon it-the calf is a fatted one.Let no one go away hungry. All of you, enjoy the banquet of faith! All enjoy the riches of His goodness.Let no one cry over his poverty, for the universal Kingdom has appeared! Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again, for forgiveness has risen from the grave. Let none fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed it by enduring it. He spoiled the power of hell when he descended thereto. Isaiah foretold this when he cried, 'Death has been frustrated in meeting him below! 'It is frustrated, for it is destroyed.It is frustrated, for it is annihilated. It is frustrated, for now it is made captive. For it grabbed a body and discovered God. It took earth and behold! It encountered Heaven. It took what was visible, and was overcome by what was invisible. O Death, where is your sting? O Death, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and the demons are cast down. Christ is risen, and life is set free.Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead. For Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits for those who sleep. to Him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

Judas

Today is recognized by the Church as the day Judas betrayed Jesus. Reflecting on today’s readings I wondered if Judas had a moment of pause when Jesus called him out. Matthew says from that moment on, he looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus. He’s thinking… looking… waiting… determining when. It had to always be in the forefront of his mind. Then as they are eating, Jesus announces to the whole room, “truly I say” meaning, I’m not joking, I’m not trying to determine IF someone will, I know for a fact that one of you is going to betray me. If that were me my heart would start to race, adrenaline would pump through my veins, and hairs would start to stand up on the back of my neck. My mind would race with thoughts like, how did he know… did he have me followed… is he really who he says he is? We know Judas had second thoughts but only after he followed through. Did Judas truly love Jesus? Or did he love the power he believed would come with the Kingdom and the Glory Jesus talked about? Did his pride get in the way? Where did he get the audacity to ask Jesus "is it I"? Thematically it feels a lot like the story I’ve heard about the fall of Lucifer… perhaps I’m just slow to come to that realization. It puts a different light on the work of the devil… not one that was unknown, just not focused on before.


Matthew 26: 14 - 25
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14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. 17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover?" 18 He said, "Go into the city to a certain one, and say to him, `The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples.'" 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover. 20 When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples; 21 and as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." 22 And they were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" 23 He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me, will betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Is it I, Master?" He said to him, "You have said so."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Just in case you didn't know "they" moved St. Patrick's Day so it didn't land at the beginning of holy week. Here is a prayer penned by the popular saint.

"St. Patrick's Breastplate"

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

The proof that God is good is that she is here. - Jean Valjean (in Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo)

My first thought was, who? Who is here? (well… technically my initial thought was Jean Valjean just called God a woman?!…but I digress) Why does Valjean feel so strongly about her? So enamored by her, that she is all the proof he needs to know that God is good. With all the evidence that seems to point to the contrary, that is quite a counter weight. What must I do for someone to think that of me? I want to be her to have someone react to me in that manner. It strikes the chord of the deeper truth. The truth is, from the beginning we’ve been a gift. A suitable companion couldn’t not be found in all of creation so God went about creating the perfect companion for Adam. Can you imagine Adam’s excitement? At last she is here! We long for that one person to exclaim, at last you are here! We get so focused on searching for our individual value that we miss the point. In our soul and our being as a woman we were and still are created as a gift, a valuable one. In the same way Eve’s sin still infects us, her purpose does also.

I must thank Sister Beatrice for most of these thoughts, if she didn't actually utter them... she sparked ALL of them.