Father Matthew Wiering Podcast

John’s Gospel gives us a very interesting detail in the last encounter we hear about in that Gospel between Jesus and his apostles. Peter is with the other disciples on the boat, and as soon as he recognizes that Jesus is in the water, he puts on clothes and jumps in the lake! In today’s homily for we explore the deeper meaning behind this enigmatic detail.

When the Apostles are gathered in the Upper Room and Jesus appears to them, the first word he says to the is “Peace”. If there were any question about whether he would accept them back as friends and companions after they abandoned him in his time of need, he clears it up here and restores their relationship with himself. He reconciles them to himself and to God the Father. Then he says, “As the Father has sent me so I send you.” In other words, as Jesus came to the world to reconcile people back to God, so now Jesus sends out his apostles—the first bishops and priests—to do exactly the same thing: Reconciling sinners back to God.

Happy Easter!

In John’s account of the passion we are given a few special details. Standing at the foot of the cross are a few women who gaze with sorrow and love at Jesus Crucified. His mother and beloved disciple John are there too, and Jesus invited John to make Mary his mother, and the Scripture tells us he “took her into his own”, into the deepest part of himself, into his heart we could say. Let’s imitate these holy ones as we gaze upon Jesus our Crucified Lord— standing with Mary, taking her into our hearts, letting them be broken with sorrow so that they will become a fountain of healing…

In the unique liturgy of Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, our readings focus on the two Sacraments instituted at the Last Supper: the Eucharist and the Priesthood. The ritual washing of the feet reminds us that Jesus wants his priests—and all of his followers—to use whatever position they have to serve their brother and sister. And the procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the beautifully decorated altar of repose transports of to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus suffers psychological agony… and submits himself to men who will torture and kill him. Jesus’s hour has come, let us wait and keep watch with him.

Mysteries abound when it comes to today’s Gospel of Christ and the woman caught in adultery. The first is the mystery of origin: Where does this passage come from? Jesus’s writing on the ground is a mystery and hat has beguiled pastors and saints up until the present day. And the mystery of why the Church has us hear this Gospel right before we celebrate Palm Sunday at the end of Lent. There is more here in the story than meets the eye!

The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most moving ever told. How does God see the sinner, even one who has committed the most serious betrayal? With such love and desire that God waits for the first sign of the sinner’s return, running to meet us and restoring us to his friendship. This is the lesson of the Prodigal Son. May we always believe no matter what that God will always take us back.

In today’s first reading, we hear God reveal to Moses the mystery of his identity: I AM WHO AM. Catholic tradition helps us to interpret what this means. God is not one being among many beings (like us). He is, as Aquinas taught, ipsum esse—to be itself. While beings have a competitive stance between, God, who is the sheer act of being, is not in competition with creatures but actually brings them to perfection. The burning bush is a sign of this: The fire of God’s love does not destroy us but elevates us.

From our Morning of Recollection for Widows. Reflecting on the widow Anna who recognized Jesus as the Christ when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple.

Jesus’s baptism shows us how he has fully embraced our sinful human nature, and the temptations which immediately follow show us the consequences of this choice: Not only does Jesus take on our physical and psychological nature but our inner life too, including the painful and humiliating reality of our unwanted thoughts and temptations. Today we reflect on the the fact that the author to the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in a every way that we are but without sinning… Jesus’s participation in this painful part of the human experience alleviates our shame and fills us with hope that in him we too can be faithful in the midst of temptations.