Happy Easter to each one of you! This year we have a unique Easter. It will not come this early for another 150 years - 2160 to be exact. I don't know about you, but I plan on spending that Easter in a different place! And believe me I want you to be with me & Fr. Austin in that place. And you know what that place is! Heaven. That’s the place that Christ has prepared for us and that’s the Promise and the message of Easter for each one of us tonight.
A little boy and his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful spring afternoon. Suddenly out of nowhere a bumblebee flew in the car window. Now, I don't know about you, but a bee in the car is something that I've experienced. And it's a little scary. But what made this incident really terrifying was that the little boy was deathly allergic to bee stings. So, when he saw the bee, he became petrified.
But his father, thinking quickly, reached out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then released it. As soon as he released the bee, it started to fly around inside the car again. So the panic started all over again for the little boy.
Well, seeing the panic on his boy's face, his father saw pulled the car off to the side of the road. Then he reached out his hand, but this time it was to show the boy something. There still stuck in his skin was the stinger of the bee. "Do you see this?" he said. "You don't need to be afraid anymore. I've taken the sting for you."
Well, friends, that's the message of Easter in one simple statement. You and I don't need to be afraid of death anymore. Jesus Christ already faced it for us. And He won victory over it. He took the sting out of death.
On Maundy Thursday he reminded us that we have a Father that has forgotten us. On Good Friday, i.e. yesterday He reassured us that even though he broke himself on the cross, he did it for a purpose. And Tonight on this Easter night he has risen to a new life and promised us that we too who believe in him will rise again to a New Life. The promises that Jesus made are not empty promises, there are promises that will last the test of time, till eternity.
True our world is full of empty promises. In our world, we are taught that; “if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.” So many of us have been taken for a ride by these “empty promises,” On TV we have our adds that tells us that we can be happy, sexy, rich, or famous, if we only purchase a certain product. It doesn’t take long before we have been fooled enough to know that the world’s promises are full of emptiness. But, God is different. Instead of promises full of emptiness, on Easter, he gave us emptiness that is full of promise.
To Night, I like to place before u the Three Promises of Easter. Each promise is marked by something empty. An empty cross, and empty tomb and empty burial clothes.
A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was the custom among the rich that the parents would give the graduate an automobile. "Bill’ and his father had spent months looking at cars, and the week before graduation, they found the perfect car.
On the eve of his graduation, his father handed him a gift wrapped Bible. Bill was so angry that he threw the Bible out of the house. He never saw his father again. It was the news of his father’s death that brought Bill home again.
As he sat one night going through his father’s possessions that he was to inherit, he come across the Bible his father had given him. He brushed away the dust and opened it to find a cashier’s check, dated the day of his graduation - in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together.
As I thought about this story, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people in our world today have done the same thing to God. Literally tossed aside a wonderful promise of eternity, probably because they didn’t understand it, or they didn’t believe that it was possible.
Lets take a look at the 1st promise:
1. The Empty Cross:
Let me take you to the scene of Easter morning. It was early that morning and the women were on their way to the tomb. Now as they made their way to the tomb, they had to pass the hill of the Skull, where Jesus was crucified. And they looked up and saw the three crosses. On the center was the one on which hung the savour. But today it is empty, empty of Jesus’ body, but full of God’s Promises. Full of hope – for u and for me.
The promise of the empty cross is that you and I have been forgiven. Because it was on the cross that Jesus paid the penalty of our sins.
Sin – A word that is not so popular in our world today. Yet the truth remains that we all have sinned. Every one of us – you, me, the person sitting next to you, behind you and in front of you, we all have sinned, and as St Paul says, “We all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.” But it was on Cross that Jesus paid the ransom for our sins.
Before that fateful Friday, God open the book of life and look up at each of our names, and written in black in front of our names were the words – “guilt of sin.” But when Jesus went to the cross, God literally transferred our accounts to His name. On that day, across every name – he wrote – in Jesus blood – “Forgiven – Forgiven – Forgiven.”
Because of the work that Jesus did on that cross – you and I now stand Forgiven.” This is the first promise of Easter the empty cross – filled with the promise of forgiven sins.
2. The Empty Tomb:
Now as the women continued their journey to the Tomb, they were talking among them selves as to who will shift that 3 tons bolder for us and what will be say to the Roman Soldiers who kept guard at the tomb. Suddenly, they feel the earth move! Frightened, they look at each other, not certain what to do. As they approach the burial site, they are still wondering about what had happened. When they come up closer they saw something even more remarkable:
The soldiers are all unconscious
The stone has been moved
An angel – glowing like lightening – is sitting on it
Listen to his words – “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here; He has risen!” Alleluia! He truly has risen.
A Sunday School teacher on the Sunday after Easter decided to give a class a special assignment on Jesus Resurrection. She gave them an empty plastic egg and told them to go outside and fill it with something that symbolizes new life. So the class we out and some of them brought flowers, others small plants, one boy brought in a butterfly. But one egg was empty. She looked up and saw the expression on Philip’s face and he accepted that it was his egg. So the teacher asked Philip, why? Philip stood up and said that “It’s empty, ’cause the tomb was empty."
How true are these words? The empty tomb is the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise to every one of us too will be raised to eternal life.
To those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, death has lost its sting – it is no longer something to be feared. What fear is there when we have the promise that one day we will live forever with Him in Heaven?
Why was the tomb empty? Because Jesus was alive – The Angel said; “He is risen.” And the promise to us is that we too will live even if we die. This is the second promise of Easter.
3. The Empty Burial Clothes:
But, it doesn’t end there. There is one more promise that I want you to know about Easter. It is the promise of the empty burial clothes.
Back to our story. After the Angel had spoken to the women, they immediately went back to the Apostles and reported what had happened. With this incredible news, Peter and John immediately raced back to the tomb to see for themselves. It didn’t take them long to discover that the tomb was just the way the women had said it was – empty. But, that’s not all. Inside, Peter found the clothes that Jesus had been buried in. They too were empty. This could only mean one thing – Jesus was alive! If someone had stolen his body, they wouldn’t have removed the burial clothes and folded them up neatly and left them where they lay. Truly, Jesus was resurrected!
It wouldn’t be long, before Jesus, himself would appear to Mary Magdalene, and to all of the Apostles, and eventually to over 500 people.
He would;
sit down with them
walk with them
talk with them
eat with them•
Once again, they would be able to fellowship with their Lord. You see, that is the promise of the empty burial clothes – Jesus is alive, and wants to fellowship with us.
Think about this – the cross couldn’t hold him, the tomb couldn’t contain him, the burial clothes were unnecessary, because Jesus is alive! He has skin and bones and a face and was recognizable. And he talked, and touched and loved and healed. He did it the day of his resurrection, and he does it still today. And – most importantly – he wants to do it with you.
The promises that the women discovered on that 1st Easter morning, can be ours too.
We too can know the freedom of forgiven sins
We too can know the promise of eternal life in heaven
We too can know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
This is the promise that God wants to bless each one of you tonight. May we all have New Life in these promises?
Alleluia! He has risen: A Blessed and a Christ filled Easter to each one of you.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
"The Father who does not forget us."
"The Father who does not forget us."
The ground began to shake, buildings crumbled, and--within four short minutes--over 25,000 people were dead, many others were severely disabled and more than a half-million were left homeless. The place was Gujarat, and the date was Jan 26, 2001--the day when a massive earthquake almost wiped out the state of Gujarat from the map of India.
In the midst of the chaos and confusion, a frightened father ran to the school where his young son had gone earlier that morning. When he arrived, all he found was a pile of rubble. But he remembered the promise that he had made to his son so many times: "No matter what happens, Amol, I will always be there."
And so he began to dig--with his bare hands. He pulled up bricks and plaster and wood and metal, while other people watched in disbelief. They said, "Forget it, mister. Don't waste your time. They're all dead." He said to them, "You can stand there and grumble, or you can help me carry these heavy bricks." A few did pitch in to help, but most of them gave up once their muscles began to tire.
But the man didn't. He couldn't stop thinking of his son--and his promise--and so he continued to dig: for 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours. Finally, after 38 hours of hard labor, he heard a muffled groan from down below. He picked up one final piece of wallboard and he called out, "Amol!" Out of the darkness he heard a quivering voice, "Papa!" Then he heard other voices--14 in all. Of the 200 students who had gone into the school that morning, incredibly 14 were still alive.
When they were all safely out of the demolished building, Amol turned to his friends and proudly declared, "See, I told you my father wouldn't forget us!"
My brothers and sisters, this is what Christians say to the world during these last days of Holy Week. In the midst of the destruction caused by sin-- destruction which we see all around us and experience personally and contribute to at least in small ways--in the midst of all that we point to the Crucified and Risen Jesus and we say, "See, we told you that our Father wouldn't forget us!"
That is what the Paschal Mystery is all about.
But it even goes beyond the Paschal Mystery itself. In Fact this one simple line actually provides us with an accurate commentary on the whole history of salvation: from the time of Adam and Eve, until the present moment in the life of the Church.
Well, let me explain this: when Adam and Eve sinned, our heavenly Father had to make a choice. And, basically, he had only two options to pick from.
Option #1: let Adam and Eve and all their descendants die in their sins; let them experience strict justice and burn forever in hell. (Not a very good option from our perspective!)
Option #2: have His Son take on mortal flesh so that he can pay the price for sin, since he's the only one who can possibly do it! Because he'll have a human nature, he'll be able to represent the entire human race; and because he will be God, his actions will have infinite value. Thus he'll be able to pay the infinite debt caused by human sin.
Well, thankfully, the heavenly Father in his great love chose option #2. And he made that choice clear at the very beginning.
And in fact this is what is given to us in tonight's first reading from Exodus 12. The Hebrews were on the brink of extermination, and God came to their rescue. That's why our Jewish brothers and sisters say to the world on this Passover and on every Passover: "See, we told you that our Father wouldn't forget us. Look what he did for us in rescuing us from Pharaoh!" And we join them in that affirmation.
And so it is throughout the Old Testament and into the New, culminating with the Passion and Death of our Lord. I ask you, then, my Brother & Sisters to remember this line today and tomorrow as you meditate on the sufferings of Christ: "See, we told you that our Father wouldn't forget us!" God remembered us in our greatest need--our need for forgiveness--and he's made that gift available to us by offering up his only begotten Son.
But--believe it or not--it even goes beyond this! Yes, it's true, God has remembered us and has sent his Son to pay the price for our salvation. But in and of itself that is not enough to get any of us into heaven! In order for us to get into heaven, the grace of salvation must be applied to our lives--individually. Which is precisely why Jesus instituted the sacraments. Through the sacraments, the grace of salvation, which he won, by his Passion, Death and Resurrection comes into our lives and makes us capable of entering God's eternal kingdom.
Tonight the Church focuses on two sacraments in particular: the Eucharist and Holy Orders--specifically the priesthood--because both were instituted at the Last Supper. Now think about what a priest does. His entire ministry is a reminder that God has not forgotten us, is it not?
1. The priest baptizes--he is the ordinary instrument through which we become children of God. And so, through the action of the priest, the Lord remembers us and gives us new life in his Son.
2. Then, when we forfeit that grace of salvation through mortal sin, the priest is the instrument through which it's restored in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Thus we can say that the Lord does not forget us even when we forget him by sinning grievously.
3. Then, when we need a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be a witness to Christ in the world, the bishop (who possesses the fullness of the priesthood) confirms us. In our special need of empowerment, God does not forget us.
4. Even in sickness and at the end of life, our Lord remembers us. Through the hands of the priest he anoints us with the Oil of healing and for our entrance into eternity.
5. And, of course, to sustain us on our journey through this life, the Lord gives us himself in a radically unique way--he gives us his own flesh and blood to consume. And he does it through the words and the hands of the priest.
This means that every time we receive the Eucharist, we should look at the host and say to ourselves: "See Our Heavenly Father has not forgotten us, He has given us His Son under the appearance of bread and wine to strengthen us as we journey through life.”
And so tonight, in a particular way, we thank the Lord for the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood, and we pray for all priests--because they need it! We Priests are weak, sinful men with an awesome calling, and so wew need your prayers.
On the 5th April, I was ordained as a Priest, and when I look back at my own life & see how our Father has pulled me out of darkness and now has asked me to lead others on the right path, I feel unworthy, yet amazed, shocked and excited at the same time. I think that is what keeps me going: that God has called me to pull others out of the darkness by means of his infinite mercy and grace in his holy sacraments--especially Confession.
Yes, in a certain sense, it is unimaginable! It's unimaginable that God would choose to become man. It's unimaginable that God would love us enough to die on a Cross for our sins! It's unimaginable that he would raise up ordinary men like Fr. Austin & myself to act in his person. It's unimaginable that he would give us his own flesh and blood to eat and drink!
Unimaginable--yes--but it's all true! That's what we celebrate tonight. And it's true for one reason and one reason only: because we have a Father who does not forget us.
The ground began to shake, buildings crumbled, and--within four short minutes--over 25,000 people were dead, many others were severely disabled and more than a half-million were left homeless. The place was Gujarat, and the date was Jan 26, 2001--the day when a massive earthquake almost wiped out the state of Gujarat from the map of India.
In the midst of the chaos and confusion, a frightened father ran to the school where his young son had gone earlier that morning. When he arrived, all he found was a pile of rubble. But he remembered the promise that he had made to his son so many times: "No matter what happens, Amol, I will always be there."
And so he began to dig--with his bare hands. He pulled up bricks and plaster and wood and metal, while other people watched in disbelief. They said, "Forget it, mister. Don't waste your time. They're all dead." He said to them, "You can stand there and grumble, or you can help me carry these heavy bricks." A few did pitch in to help, but most of them gave up once their muscles began to tire.
But the man didn't. He couldn't stop thinking of his son--and his promise--and so he continued to dig: for 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours. Finally, after 38 hours of hard labor, he heard a muffled groan from down below. He picked up one final piece of wallboard and he called out, "Amol!" Out of the darkness he heard a quivering voice, "Papa!" Then he heard other voices--14 in all. Of the 200 students who had gone into the school that morning, incredibly 14 were still alive.
When they were all safely out of the demolished building, Amol turned to his friends and proudly declared, "See, I told you my father wouldn't forget us!"
My brothers and sisters, this is what Christians say to the world during these last days of Holy Week. In the midst of the destruction caused by sin-- destruction which we see all around us and experience personally and contribute to at least in small ways--in the midst of all that we point to the Crucified and Risen Jesus and we say, "See, we told you that our Father wouldn't forget us!"
That is what the Paschal Mystery is all about.
But it even goes beyond the Paschal Mystery itself. In Fact this one simple line actually provides us with an accurate commentary on the whole history of salvation: from the time of Adam and Eve, until the present moment in the life of the Church.
Well, let me explain this: when Adam and Eve sinned, our heavenly Father had to make a choice. And, basically, he had only two options to pick from.
Option #1: let Adam and Eve and all their descendants die in their sins; let them experience strict justice and burn forever in hell. (Not a very good option from our perspective!)
Option #2: have His Son take on mortal flesh so that he can pay the price for sin, since he's the only one who can possibly do it! Because he'll have a human nature, he'll be able to represent the entire human race; and because he will be God, his actions will have infinite value. Thus he'll be able to pay the infinite debt caused by human sin.
Well, thankfully, the heavenly Father in his great love chose option #2. And he made that choice clear at the very beginning.
And in fact this is what is given to us in tonight's first reading from Exodus 12. The Hebrews were on the brink of extermination, and God came to their rescue. That's why our Jewish brothers and sisters say to the world on this Passover and on every Passover: "See, we told you that our Father wouldn't forget us. Look what he did for us in rescuing us from Pharaoh!" And we join them in that affirmation.
And so it is throughout the Old Testament and into the New, culminating with the Passion and Death of our Lord. I ask you, then, my Brother & Sisters to remember this line today and tomorrow as you meditate on the sufferings of Christ: "See, we told you that our Father wouldn't forget us!" God remembered us in our greatest need--our need for forgiveness--and he's made that gift available to us by offering up his only begotten Son.
But--believe it or not--it even goes beyond this! Yes, it's true, God has remembered us and has sent his Son to pay the price for our salvation. But in and of itself that is not enough to get any of us into heaven! In order for us to get into heaven, the grace of salvation must be applied to our lives--individually. Which is precisely why Jesus instituted the sacraments. Through the sacraments, the grace of salvation, which he won, by his Passion, Death and Resurrection comes into our lives and makes us capable of entering God's eternal kingdom.
Tonight the Church focuses on two sacraments in particular: the Eucharist and Holy Orders--specifically the priesthood--because both were instituted at the Last Supper. Now think about what a priest does. His entire ministry is a reminder that God has not forgotten us, is it not?
1. The priest baptizes--he is the ordinary instrument through which we become children of God. And so, through the action of the priest, the Lord remembers us and gives us new life in his Son.
2. Then, when we forfeit that grace of salvation through mortal sin, the priest is the instrument through which it's restored in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Thus we can say that the Lord does not forget us even when we forget him by sinning grievously.
3. Then, when we need a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be a witness to Christ in the world, the bishop (who possesses the fullness of the priesthood) confirms us. In our special need of empowerment, God does not forget us.
4. Even in sickness and at the end of life, our Lord remembers us. Through the hands of the priest he anoints us with the Oil of healing and for our entrance into eternity.
5. And, of course, to sustain us on our journey through this life, the Lord gives us himself in a radically unique way--he gives us his own flesh and blood to consume. And he does it through the words and the hands of the priest.
This means that every time we receive the Eucharist, we should look at the host and say to ourselves: "See Our Heavenly Father has not forgotten us, He has given us His Son under the appearance of bread and wine to strengthen us as we journey through life.”
And so tonight, in a particular way, we thank the Lord for the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood, and we pray for all priests--because they need it! We Priests are weak, sinful men with an awesome calling, and so wew need your prayers.
On the 5th April, I was ordained as a Priest, and when I look back at my own life & see how our Father has pulled me out of darkness and now has asked me to lead others on the right path, I feel unworthy, yet amazed, shocked and excited at the same time. I think that is what keeps me going: that God has called me to pull others out of the darkness by means of his infinite mercy and grace in his holy sacraments--especially Confession.
Yes, in a certain sense, it is unimaginable! It's unimaginable that God would choose to become man. It's unimaginable that God would love us enough to die on a Cross for our sins! It's unimaginable that he would raise up ordinary men like Fr. Austin & myself to act in his person. It's unimaginable that he would give us his own flesh and blood to eat and drink!
Unimaginable--yes--but it's all true! That's what we celebrate tonight. And it's true for one reason and one reason only: because we have a Father who does not forget us.
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