The English Martyrs

The English Martyrs include 284 men and women who gave their lives during the 16th and 17th centuries. They were martyred simply because they remained steadfast in their Catholic faith. What had happened?

King Henry VIII had proclaimed himself supreme head of the Church in England, claiming for himself and his successors power over his subjects not only in civil matters, but also in all things spiritual. He took to himself a spiritual power that can belong only to the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and Successor of St. Peter. The Catholics at that time wanted to be loyal subjects of the Crown, but their consciences could not allow them to grant the power of spiritual supremacy. It is as though, in the United States, the president and Congress took upon themselves the power to determine what we as Catholics believe, and how we worship. We could not allow Congress to pass laws that changed the Church’s teaching about the Mass, or what we believe about God. But this was what had happened in England, and it led many people to face death courageously rather than act against their consciences and deny their Catholic faith.

This firm attitude in defense of their freedom of conscience and of their faith in the truth of the Holy Catholic Church is identical in all these Martyrs, although they were a diverse group of people – priests, religious, laymen, housewives and mothers, some highly educated, some very simple labourers. But they all shared the same faith, and the same determination to keep that faith – and for that, they were put to death. And this persecution was not only under Henry VIII, but it continued under Elizabeth I and her successors, all the way into the Commonwealth under Cromwell.

The torments they endured were horrible. Most of them were killed in extremely violent ways – the priests, for instance, were hanged, drawn and quartered. Others were tortured for long periods of time before their deaths. But they all remained steadfast in their Catholic faith, and they died praying for their executioners, and even praying for the monarch who had ordered their deaths.

O Merciful God, who, when thy Church on earth was torn apart by the ravages of sin, didst raise up men and women in England who witnessed to their faith with courage and constancy: give unto thy Church that peace which is thy will, and grant that those who have been divided on earth may be reconciled in heaven and be partakers together in the vision of thy glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

_________________________________________

Pictured: Stained glass in the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs, Cambridge. 

St. Philip and St. James, Apostles

St. Philip was born in Bethsaida, Galilee. He may have been a disciple of John the Baptist and is mentioned as one of the Apostles in the lists of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and in Acts. Aside from the lists, he is mentioned only in John’s Gospel in the New Testament. He was called by Jesus Himself and brought Nathanael to Christ. Philip was present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when he engaged in a brief dialogue with the Lord, and was the Apostle approached by the Hellenistic Jews from Bethsaida to introduce them to Jesus. Just before the Passion, Jesus answered Philip's request to show them the Father, but no further mention of Philip is made in the New Testament beyond his listing among the Apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. According to tradition he preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis under Emperor Domitian.

St. James the Less, the author of the first catholic Epistle (that is, addressed to the Church generally), was the son of Alphaeus (also known as Cleophas). His mother Mary was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, and for that reason, according to Jewish custom, he was sometimes called the brother of the Lord. The Apostle held a distinguished position in the early Christian community of Jerusalem. St. Paul tells us he was a witness of the Resurrection of Christ; he is also a "pillar" of the Church, whom St. Paul consulted about the Gospel. According to tradition, he was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and was at the Council of Jerusalem about the year 50. St. James was martyred for the Faith by the Jews in the Spring of the year 62. He was held in great respect by everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, which earned him the appellation of "James the Just."

O Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: grant us perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth and the life; that, following the steps of thy holy Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may steadfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

____________________________________________

Pictured: "St. Philip and St. James" by Spinello Aretino (1350-1410)

Fifth Sunday of Easter

St. John the Apostle wrote in his first epistle, "this is his commandment, to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he has commanded us.” [I St. John 3:23]

As St. John's words make clear, faith and love always run together, which means we cannot have real faith in Christ without having love for one another. Love is the fruit of faith, like apples are the fruit of an apple tree. If the tree is alive and well and drawing nutrients from the soil and energy from the sun, it produces fruit. Likewise, if faith in Christ is alive and well, drawing life from Him through His Word and Sacraments, it produces love.

God’s love was shown in this: that He sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. We did not first love God; rather, God first loved us, and He sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Christ came out of love for us, while we were still loveless and unlovable. He laid down His life for us, so that we might live through Him and love through Him, and He through us.

Jesus knew His disciples. He knew what was in their hearts. He knew they were prone to arguing, to envy, to bickering over who was the greatest among them, who would get the seats of honour, who was in charge. He knew that they were opinionated men, passionate men. He knew they could be egotistical and self-centered, worried about themselves instead of each other. Jesus knew all that, and yet He loved them. He washed their feet, and He gave them a place at His table, and He said, "Love one another, as I have loved you."

And Jesus knows us. He knows what is in our hearts. Yet He loves us, bathing us in the waters of baptism and giving us a place at His table. He works in our hearts and He fills them with His love. He says to all of us as His disciples, "Love one another, as I have loved you."

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the actual source of His love. He is the Vine, we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Apart from Him, we cannot really love. Unless we are first joined to His death and His life by faith, unless we are buried with Him in baptism and are raised with Him and seated with Him in glory, unless we are in communion with Him and He with us, we will not and cannot truly love God or one another.

_______________________________________

Pictured: "Christ the True Vine" 16th century Greek icon

St. Joseph the Worker

The commemoration of St. Joseph the Worker falls on the first day of the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and was fixed in the calendar by Pope Pius XII in 1955. The pope expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labour and would bring a spiritual dimension to the work we do.

The teaching of the Church reaches back into the Old Testament, when we read in the Book of Genesis that God created man, and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend to it. From that time, God, who is the creator and ruler of the universe, has called men and women in every age to develop and use their talents for the good of others, and as a way of sharing in the creative work of God. In every kind of labour we are to remember that we are obeying the command of God to use our talents, and to receive the fruit of our labours. Our work allows us to provide for our own needs, and for the needs of those for whom we are responsible. It also allows us to show proper charity towards those who are in need.

The Church asks us to look to St. Joseph on this day, and follow his example of work, by which he showed his love and responsibility for the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the Child Jesus. St. Joseph shows the dignity of work – and whether it is manual work, or any other kind of work, we are to do it in a spirit of cooperation with God, and as an offering to Him. Any task, well done, is an offering to God. When we work, we should see it as a work done for God, and it is part of what shows that we are created in His image. In creation itself, God worked for six days, and rested the seventh. So in our own lives, we are to keep that balance between using our energy for work, and then out of respect for our minds and bodies, give a day for our spiritual and physical renewal.

Holy Joseph, Intercessor

Unto thee God’s children sing;

Be our Patron and Protector,

To God’s throne our praises bring.

Faithful Spouse of faithful Virgin,

Lover of God’s purity;

From thy worthy place in heaven,

Pray that we may faithful be.

Guardian of the Word Incarnate,

Silent guide of God’s own Son;

Guard our hearts and lead us onward

To the life that Christ has won.

Humble man in lofty station,

God has poured His grace on thee;

Pray such grace to us be given,

That we live eternally.

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips, 1991
Music: "Stuttgart" adapted by C. F. Witt, 1715

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life learned from Saint Joseph to share our toil, and thus hallowed our labour: Be present with thy people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of the world responsive to thy will; and give us all a pride in what we do and a just return for our labour; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

________________________________________________________

Pictured: "Our Saviour Subject To His Parents At Nazareth"

by John Rogers Herbert 1810–1890

St. Pius V: the Pope of Lepanto

Pope St. Pius V - Michael Ghislieri - was born into a poor family on 17 January 1504.  He spent his childhood working as a shepherd, until he entered the Dominican Order at the age of fourteen.  His keen intelligence served well, and eventually he was ordained as a bishop, ultimately occupying the Throne of St. Peter.

St. Pius V lived in times much like our own.  The Council of Trent took place during his lifetime, and as is the case with most Councils, there was a time of confusion following.  He spent much of his life -- before his time as pope, and then until his death -- working to implement the principles of the Council, and strengthening the witness of the Catholic Church.

A very important event took place on October 7, 1571.  It is associated with Our Lady, and also with Pope St. Pius V.

For some time the Muslims had attempted to conquer Europe, not only for political reasons, but also in an attempt to destroy the Church and impose Islam throughout the known world.

On that clear October morning a huge gathering of ships appeared in the Mediterranean Sea, near the Greek port of Lepanto -- 280 Turkish ships, and 212 Christian ships. For years the Muslims had been raiding Christian areas around the Mediterranean and had carried off thousands of Christians into slavery. In fact, all of the ships gathered on that morning were powered by rowers – and the Muslim ships had nearly 15,000 Christian slaves in chains, being forced to pull the oars to guide the ships into battle. The Catholic fleet was under the command of Don Juan of Austria, but the Catholic fleet was at a great disadvantage in its power and military ability. This was a battle that would decide the fate of the world – either the Turks would be victorious and the Church destroyed, or the Catholics would be victorious and would put down the Muslim threat.

Pope St. Pius V knew the importance of victory. He called upon all of Europe to pray the rosary, asking for the intercession of Our  Lady, that God would grant a Catholic victory. Although it seemed hopeless, the people prayed. Don Juan guided his battleships into the middle of the Turkish fleet; meanwhile, many of the Christian slaves had managed to escape their chains and poured out of the holds of the Muslim ships, attacking the Turks and swinging their chains, throwing the Muslims overboard. The combination of the attack by the Catholic fleet and the uprising of the Christian slaves meant that there was a great victory by the Catholics fleet over the mighty Turkish fleet.

We know today that this victory was decisive. It prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe at that time, and it showed the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away in his Papal residence, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and through supernatural knowledge exclaimed, "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and he wept tears of thanksgiving to God.

This day has been remembered throughout the Church, first as Our Lady of Victory, and then as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary – remembering the victory God granted, and also remembering the means by which that victory was achieved – that it was an intervention by God through the prayers offered by praying the Rosary... perhaps something we might consider in our own generation.

O God, who for the confusion of the enemies of thy Church, and for the restoring of the honour of thy worship, didst appoint thy blessed Saint Pius V to be Chief among thy Pastors: grant that we, being defended by his intercession, may so steadfastly follow after thy commandments, that we may overcome all the devices of our enemies, and rejoice in perpetual peace and security; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine was born in Siena in the year 1347, and she was the last of 25 children born to her parents. Her father was a wealthy man in the business of dying wool. From her earliest life, Catherine was a different kind of child, spiritually sensitive, and being part of such a large family, she liked to find times when she could be alone with God. It was at the age of six that she had some sort of vision near the Church of San Domenico in Siena. From that moment onward, she followed an even stricter path of devotion, and when she was only seven, she dedicated herself to Christ, taking a private and internal vow that she would never marry, but would live only to serve God.

She wanted very much to dedicate herself to Religious life, and although her parents initially resisted the idea, eventually her father gave in and allowed Catherine to follow whatever she felt God was calling her to do. In 1363, when she was just 15 years old, Catherine became a Dominican Tertiary, and wore the black cloak which designated her as a Dominican sister. She began to increase her charitable work, and spent a great deal of her time in a nearby hospital, caring for the sick.

Throughout this time she became known as someone who gave excellent spiritual guidance, as more and more people came to her, or wrote to her, for spiritual advice. In fact, she became well-known throughout the Church as a devout and gifted spiritual guide, and even as a mystic. It was during a visit to the city of Pisa that she received the stigmata in the presence of a crucifix hanging in the Church of Santa Cristina. As her spiritual fame grew, she was even asked to travel to different countries to act as a mediator for the papacy, which was at that time in exile at Avignon in France. She was very strong in voicing her opinion to Pope Gregory that he needed to bring the Papal Court back to Rome, and unify the Church. When the terrible situation arose with the false election of a second Pope, leading the Church to the edge of schism, she was instrumental in restoring the true Pope to his rightful place.

In the year 1380, when she was just 33 years old, St. Catherine died. She was eventually proclaimed to be a saint, and along with St. Francis of Assisi, St Catherine of Siena was proclaimed to be patron saint of Italy. Pope Paul VI conferred on her the title of Doctor of the Universal Church, and in 1999 she was proclaimed co-patron saint of Europe by Pope St. John Paul II.

O Merciful God, who gavest to thy servant Saint Catherine of Siena a wondrous love of the Passion of Christ: grant that, through her prayers; we thy people may be united to him in his majesty and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr

On April 28, 1841, a band of native warriors entered the hut of a missionary priest, Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides islands – now called Vanuatu. They clubbed the missionary to death and cut up his body with hatchets. But just two years after this murder, the complete population of the island was Catholic. St. Peter Chanel's death bears witness to the ancient axiom that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians."

What led up to this wonderful conversion of so many people? St. Peter Chanel came there as the fulfillment of a dream he had had as a boy. He was born in 1803 in France. At the age of seven, he was a shepherd boy, but the local parish priest, recognizing something unusual in the boy, convinced his parents to let him study in a little school the priest had started. From there Peter went on to the seminary, and was ordained a priest and assigned to a very difficult, run-down parish. In three short years there was a complete transformation of the people in the parish – whereas there had been very few who practiced the Faith, when he left, nearly everyone had returned to the Sacraments.

In 1831, he felt called by God to enter a missionary society of priests, and his dream of going to mission territory finally happened in 1836. He was sent to the island of Futuna, where he had to suffer great hardships, disappointments, frustration, and almost complete failure, as well as the opposition of the local chieftain. The work seemed hopeless: only a few had been baptized, and the chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. Then, when the chief's son asked for baptism, the chief was so angry that he sent warriors to kill the missionary. It would have seemed that was the end. St. Peter Chanel did not live to see any success coming from his hard work, but his violent death brought about the conversion of the island, and the people of Futuna remain Catholic to this day.

O God, who for the spreading of thy Church didst crown Saint Peter Chanel with martyrdom: grant that, in these days of Paschal joy, we may so celebrate the mysteries of Christ’s Death and Resurrection as to bear worthy witness to newness of life; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The Martyr St. George

St. George was born in Cappadocia in what is now Turkey, of noble Christian parents. After his father died, he went with his mother to Palestine, which is where she had come from. Her family there was quite wealthy, and she had a large estate, which fell to her son George. He was strong and robust, and having embraced the profession of a soldier, was made a tribune in the army of the Emperor Diocletian. He showed himself to be an excellent soldier, very brave, and he received many honours and advancements in his military career. When Diocletian began persecuting the Christian religion, St. George gave up his commission and posts, and complained to the emperor himself of his severities and bloody edicts. He was immediately cast into prison, and put on trial, questioned and tortured with great cruelty; but nothing could shake his constancy. The next day he was led through the city and beheaded.

So what of the account of St. George slaying the dragon? According to the story, a terrible dragon, which lived in a marshy swamp, had ravaged all the country round a city of Libya, called Selena. It would come near the city looking for something to eat, and when it breathed, it would spread sickness throughout all the people. The people decided to give the monster two sheep every day to satisfy its hunger, but, when they ran out of sheep, they would give the dragon a human victim, whom they would choose by lot. On one occasion the lot fell to the king's little daughter. The king offered all his wealth to purchase a substitute, but the people had said that no substitutes would be allowed, and so the maiden, dressed as a bride, was led to the swamp. At that very time, St. George happened to ride by, and he asked the young girl what she did, but she warned him to leave her, because his own life was in danger. St. George stayed, however, and when the dragon appeared, St. George, making the sign of the cross, bravely attacked it and stabbed it with his lance, wounding it. Then asking the maiden for her belt, he bound it round the neck of the monster, and the princess was able to lead it without any struggle, back to the town. St. George told the people not to be afraid, but only be baptized, after which he cut off the dragon's head and the townsfolk were all converted. The king would have given George half his kingdom, but the saint replied that he must ride on, bidding the king meanwhile take good care of God's churches, honour the clergy, and have pity on the poor.

This account keeps before us the importance of the witness of St. George, who fought against the Emperor and against all those things that were trying to destroy the Church. The lesson is that good eventually will conquer evil, and all we need to do is put our fear aside, and live in the grace of our baptism.

O God of hosts, who didst so kindle the flame of love in the heart of thy servant George that he bore witness to the risen Lord by his life and by his death: grant us the same power of faith and love; that we, who rejoice in his triumphs, may come to share with him the fulness of the Resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Tomb of St. George
Lod (Lydda)

Heat and Light

What is it about faith and good works which makes them so inextricably bound together? Together they are like a single flame which gives both heat and light: where one is present, so the other must be. The Christian faith, and those good works which accompany it, comprise that single flame which enlightens the world, driving away the shadows of sorrow and death, and shedding the warmth of God's love upon all who encounter it.

The Master Artist

The world's best and finest art is that which serves as a kind of window through which one can grasp a fuller knowledge of life, of truth, of beauty. It becomes a passageway for light which illumines one's mind and soul, so that reality is made a little clearer, a little richer. The artist who can achieve this we call a “master,” but such a one is but the merest shadow of the truly artistic Master – that One who does not fashion great works from stone or on canvas, but whose crowning work is mankind. It is He who makes saints, forming them after His own image, colouring them with grace, and placing them in the world as windows through which we see something of God's divine beauty and truth, and through whom we are illumined by God's own Light.

St. Anselm of Canterbury

"I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this I believe - that unless I believe, I should not understand."

  - St. Anselm of Canterbury, Proslogium, Chapter 1

St. Anselm was uninterested in the Church and in religion generally in his youth, but he became one of the Church's greatest theologians and leaders. He received the title "Father of Scholasticism" for his attempt to analyze and illumine the truths of faith through the aid of reason.

At the age of 15 Anselm experienced a change in attitude towards religion and felt strongly that he wanted to enter a monastery, but was refused acceptance because of his father's opposition. Twelve years later, after once again having lost interest in religion and with years of worldly living behind him, he finally fulfilled his desire to be a monk. He entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy, three years later was elected prior, and 15 years later was unanimously chosen abbot.

Considered an original and independent thinker, Anselm was admired for his patience, gentleness and teaching skill. Under his leadership, the abbey of Bec became a monastic school, influential in philosophical and theological studies. During these years, at the community's request, Anselm began publishing his theological works, comparable to those of St. Augustine. His best-known work is the book Cur Deus Homo ("Why God Became Man").

At 60, and really against his will, Anselm was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. His appointment was opposed at first by England's King William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror, but the king eventually accepted the appointment. Rufus persistently refused to cooperate with efforts to reform the Church. Anselm finally went into voluntary exile until Rufus died in 1100. He was then recalled to England by Henry I, who was Rufus's brother and successor. Disagreeing fearlessly with Henry over the king's insistence on investing England's bishops, Anselm spent another three years in exile in Rome.

His care and concern extended to the very poorest people, and he was known for his opposition to the slave trade. In fact, Anselm obtained from the national council at Westminster the passage of a resolution prohibiting the sale of human beings. Anselm, like every true follower of Christ, had to carry his cross, especially in the form of opposition and conflict with those in political control. Though personally a mild and gentle man and a lover of peace, he would not back off from conflict and persecution when principles were at stake.

O Everlasting God, who gavest to thy Bishop Anselm singular gifts as a pastor and teacher: grant that we, like him, may desire thee with our whole heart; and, so desiring, may seek thee and, seeking, may find thee; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

"...we are all witnesses."

The first Christian sermon, preached by St. Peter on the day of Pentecost, is recorded by St. Luke in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Within that sermon he sums up all the truth of Easter when he says, “This Jesus, God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses.” [Acts 2:32]

That truth is so great, the victory it describes is so decisive, and the implications so life-changing, that the sole celebration of Easter Sunday cannot fully embrace it. Therefore Eastertide is not just one Sunday, but it’s a full seven Sundays. It is a “week of weeks” in which we celebrate the glory of Christ's victory over sin and death by His resurrection from the dead.

On Easter Day, the focus was, understandably, on the open, empty tomb. The empty tomb is a monument to the victory of Jesus Christ. Every skeptic, every agnostic, every would-be follower, every seeker after the truth must confront the plain and simple fact: there was no dead body to be found there. The women went to the tomb expecting to find a body. What they found instead was an empty tomb. The grave cloths, the shroud, were neatly in their places.

Angels preached the good news. "He is not here. He is risen!" And we can be quite sure that if there had been a body, it would have been produced very quickly by the Jewish leaders, or by the Roman officials. Even today, the unbelieving world would love for archaeologists to find the body of Jesus hidden away in an obscure grave someplace, so that it could put an end to this Christian claim once and for all – because the truth of the matter is this: if you take away the resurrection of the body, everything else is meaningless.

St. Peter’s message is ours also: “This Jesus, God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses." Our hearts burn, they are on fire with the confidence that Jesus is our crucified and risen Saviour, our Redeemer, our Shepherd, the Passover Lamb whose blood has redeemed us, and who truly does abide with us until the day of His Coming again.

____________________________________________

Pictured: The entrance of the Edicule which surrounds the tomb in which Jesus was buried, and where He rose from the dead.

Easter III: "Peace To You"

The disciples were behind locked doors on the night of that first Easter day. Rumours of resurrection were all around them, but at this point they were filled with fear rather than joy. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders – after all, if they had done this horrible thing to Jesus, what might they do to His disciples? So they had shut themselves away, unable to take in all that was happening. It was into that prison of fear that Jesus came. He did not knock on the locked doors, nor did He wait for someone to invite Him in; rather, He simply appeared in their midst. And what were His first words to them? "Peace to you.” This was not an idle wish, but real words of peace.

The disciples were afraid. “Is this some kind of apparition?” they wondered, or perhaps a ghost? So He shows them His wounds - the nail marks in His hands, the wound of the spear in His side. And there, before their eyes, was the fulfilment of what the prophet Isaiah had said so many generations before: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Jesus Christ, the Victim of violence, now stands before them as the Prince of Peace, and saying to them “Peace to you.” This was a peace which the world cannot give. The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom,” which means more than simply the absence of war and fighting.  It means that everything is in its place, everything is in harmony, everything is whole. What Jesus accomplished on the Cross is now spoken to the disciples, and to all of us, “Peace to you.”

Wherever Jesus is, peace is there. Sin is atoned for. Death is conquered. Life is brimming over. And there is peace. Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One, is our peace. From Jesus Christ Himself, from His wounded Body, come His sacraments of peace and life and salvation. They are there for us in the font and on the altar, all as real as was Jesus in the upper room on that first Easter evening.

The Gospel tells us that the disciples were so joyful, they could scarcely believe it. And who wouldn't be overcome with joy? The Easter news is true. The Lord is risen! How great their joy must have been! To see His wounds, to hear His words, to be filled with His peace.

"Peace to you," the Lord Jesus said to them. He was giving peace for themselves, to quiet their fear, to turn their sorrow into gladness, and He was giving them peace for others – peace to move their feet out of their little locked room and into the world. He tells them that they should “preach in His name to all nations” because they are “witnesses” to all that He has done.

And we know from other Gospel accounts that He breathed His breath on them, and He told them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” Of course, without the Holy Spirit the disciples couldn’t do what Jesus was sending them to do. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained," He tells them.

So they are sent out with authority. With His breath and with His words, Jesus authorizes them to do what God alone can do – to forgive sin. There would always be those, even in our own day, who demand to know, “How can mere men presume to forgive sin?” But it isn’t men who forgive sin; rather, it’s the One who sends them, the One who breathes on them, who gives them His Spirit and authority. So when Peter or James or John or Bartholomew or Andrew or any of the other apostles forgave, it was Jesus forgiving. Jesus sends them with His own authority, the authority with which the Father had sent Him. Jesus binds His mouth to their mouths, His word to their words, His breath to their breath, His Spirit to their spirit. Their forgiveness was His forgiveness.

And we know that Jesus not only sent out his original apostles, but that He also makes present His words, His peace, and His forgiveness through the priesthood He has entrusted to His Church through apostolic succession. This means that every bishop, and every priest ordained by a bishop, speaks with the very breath and authority of the Risen Christ when it comes to dealing with sin. Every ordination is an echo of that first Easter Sunday in the locked room when the risen Lord Jesus Christ breathed on that fearful band of disciples and sent them as His apostles to be His witnesses, to forgive and to retain sin. Bishops and Priests don’t represent their own persons when they administer Christ's Word and sacraments, but they speak and act in the stead, and by the command, of the Crucified and Risen Christ who sends them through His Church and who ministers through them.

What a comfort this is for those who are looking for forgiveness and peace. This is Christ’s promise – that He doesn't leave us uncertain about forgiveness. He doesn't leave us searching for peace. Rather, God locates forgiveness and peace where it can be found and received - in Peter and the other apostles, and in those who succeed them. Jesus Christ puts men under holy orders, and included as part of those orders is to minister forgiveness in His Name, to conquer sin through the lordship of Christ’s death and resurrection, to proclaim Christ’s word in season and out of season.

Jesus Christ really is risen from the dead. He is alive; He is not dead. He is present; He is not absent. And in the power of His resurrection, He is present with us in the fullness of His divinity and His humanity. Locked doors could not keep Him out. Nothing can. He is present among us as surely and as fully as He was with the disciples in the locked room on that first Easter. He is with us to free us from our fears, to speak His peace into our hearts, to forgive our sins, to turn our sorrow into gladness, and to bless us.

 
We have been reborn in His baptism; we have received His forgiveness; we are nourished with His Body and His Blood. His words, His sacrifice, His ministry – these are the gifts of Easter from Christ to His Church. This is the peace which Christ promised – the peace of God which passes all understanding.

____________________________________________________

Pictured: "Appearance Behind Locked Doors" 

by Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255-1260 - c. 1318-1319)

The Bodily Resurrection

God cares for our whole being. He cares about our spiritual lives, and He cares about our physical lives, because He has created us as whole persons. This means that what happens to our bodies matters to God.

God created our bodies; He baptizes them; He nourishes them; He blesses them. He makes our bodies His temple, His dwelling place. St. Paul said we all must give an account on the last day for what we have done in the body – whether good or evil. We are to glorify God with our bodies. What goes on with our bodies matters to God. It mattered enough for Him to send His Son to be conceived and to be born, to suffer in His body for our sakes, to take up our sin and death into His body, to have His body nailed to a cross and to die, and to rise from the dead, all in His body.

And because God has done all this through the body, through the human flesh which He took upon Himself, the fact that He rose bodily from the dead takes on an important meaning. It means that Jesus is who He says: the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. He is the Christ, the Messiah. He is everything He said He is: the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the only way to the Father, the only door to heaven, the only Source of salvation.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ means that His death is the sufficient sacrifice for our sins. The Father has accepted the death of His son, and raised Him from the dead to prove it. When Jesus said from the cross, “It is finished,” He meant that the work of our redemption was finished, completed, done, consummated. Salvation was won. The death of Jesus stands over and against our sin. Nothing more need to be done. Jesus has taken our sin upon His own body, and nailed it to the cross. And in His resurrection He says, “I have triumphed. I have conquered death for you. Trust in me and not in yourselves, and you will never die.”

The resurrection means that Jesus Christ is true to His word. He said He would rise from the dead in three days, and He did. That means we can take Jesus at His word, when He says that those who believe and are baptized will be saved; or when He says that bread and wine are His Body and Blood in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; or when He says that His priests have His power to forgive sins. Those promises are sure. He is true to His word, and His rising from the dead is God’s guarantee of all that.

__________________________________________

Pictured: "The Incredulity of St. Thomas" by Caravaggio, c. 1601

A New Creation

In the crucified and risen body of Jesus Christ the new creation promised by God has come. St. Paul calls Jesus the “first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Like the first rose that blooms, or the first apple that ripens, it is the sign of more to come.

The resurrection of Christ means that death has been dealt the decisive blow. Christ has taken the sting out of death by dying for us, and now He asks us to live for Him. His resurrection means that He has given us a mission and He summarized it when He said, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you do to Me.”

Christ did not remain in the tomb, nor can we remain in the tombs we make out of our selfishness, or inaction, or lack of love for others. As St. Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” The resurrection is a call for us to go out in the Name and power of Christ, so that by our example, by our works of charity, and by our speaking the truth, the whole world may know the overwhelming power and the transforming truth of Christ’s resurrection.

_____________________________________________

Pictured: "Resurrection of Christ" by Marco Basaiti (1470-1530)