For Us to See Jesus We Have to . . .
. . . be converted. Our eyes have to be opened. Something inside of us has to change. This is a common theme in the gospel narratives, in the days immediately following Jesus’ resurrection. On Tuesday of this past week, Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was the gardener. Only when Jesus says her name does she recognize him. On Wednesday, two of the disciples were walking some distance with a certain visitor, and only when this visitor breaks bread and gives it to them do they recognize him. On Thursday, Jesus appears to the disciples, but they thought it was a ghost. He proves he is real by eating a piece of fish. On Friday, Jesus calls to the disciples from the shore after they went back to fishing, their former life. Only when they haul in a huge quantity of fish do they make the connection, “It is the Lord.” And this Sunday’s gospel features Thomas who refuses to believe that this “person” standing before him could be Jesus unless he can put his fingers into the nail marks and his hand into his side. In all these cases Jesus patiently awaits, takes his time, and lets the disciples come around to recognize him. He meets them where they are. He is so merciful.
I cannot help but think that Jesus continues to come to us in ways we do not expect, and so that more often than not we are prevented from seeing and recognizing him. How often do we expect God to come to us on our terms? How often do we want God to meet our expectations? Rather, to see God we need to have something change in us. I find it so easy to keep people in a box, in my own well-defined categories instead of letting them be the complex persons they are and then enjoying in them God who is there present. To be in relationship with God or with anyone for that matter, we have to be in a constant state of conversion, a constant state of letting our categories be destroyed and re-made, of letting our eyes be open to the One who comes to us in a form that is different from our expectations.
This is the way Jesus came to his disciples. He blew their minds. Do we let Jesus blow our minds and hearts also?
I cannot help but think that Jesus continues to come to us in ways we do not expect, and so that more often than not we are prevented from seeing and recognizing him. How often do we expect God to come to us on our terms? How often do we want God to meet our expectations? Rather, to see God we need to have something change in us. I find it so easy to keep people in a box, in my own well-defined categories instead of letting them be the complex persons they are and then enjoying in them God who is there present. To be in relationship with God or with anyone for that matter, we have to be in a constant state of conversion, a constant state of letting our categories be destroyed and re-made, of letting our eyes be open to the One who comes to us in a form that is different from our expectations.
This is the way Jesus came to his disciples. He blew their minds. Do we let Jesus blow our minds and hearts also?
Thank you!
I want to thank all the individuals and groups who made our celebration of Holy Week and Easter the special celebrations they were. The Liturgy Team did a wonderful job of decorating our church and Chicano Park for Palm Sunday. They also did a beautiful job decorating for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter and coordinating the details for the Easter vigil and other masses. The Grupo CERS transformed our parish hall into a lovely prayerful space for the adoration on Holy Thursday, and they also worked so hard, along with other groups, so that the Via Crucis would be a the meaningful and poignant experience it was. All of the groups also helped with the adoration: Jovenes Adultos, Puentes, Adoracion Nocturna, Los Guadalupanos/as, Matrimonios and CERS. In all it was a beautiful and prayerful week, and the parish expresses our gratitude to all who participated.
-P. Scott
Special Message from Fr. Hung:
Dear parishioners, happy Easter!
I write to share with you that I will be taking extended time away from the parish to take care of personal matters. I ask for your prayers for me, and I will keep you in my prayers.
-Fr. Hung
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Confessions will resume on Tuesday, April 14 at 4:30 pm.
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Criminal abuse that is reported or suspected is reported to law enforcement in accordance with civil law.