MARCH 30, 2018 | THELEAVEN.ORG
COMMENTARY
I hope I make a fool of myself
OCTAVE OF EASTER April 1 EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD Acts 10: 34a, 37-43 Ps 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Col 3: 1-4 Jn 20: 1-9 April 2 MONDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 2: 14, 22-33 Ps 16: 1-2a, 5, 7-11 Mt 28: 8-15 April 3 TUESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 2: 36-41 Ps 33: 4-5, 18-20, 22 Jn 20: 11-18 April 4 WEDNESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 3: 1-10 Ps 105: 1-4, 6-9 Lk 24: 13-35 April 5 THURSDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 3: 11-26 Ps 8: 2a, 5-9 Lk 24: 35-48 April 6 FRIDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 4: 1-12 Ps 118: 1-2, 4, 22-27a Jn 21: 1-14 April 7 SATURDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER Acts 4: 13-21 Ps 118: 1, 14-15, 16ab-21 Mk 16: 9-5 April 8 SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 4: 32-35 Ps 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24 1 Jn 5: 1-6 Jn 20: 19-31 April 9 THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD Is 7: 10-14; 8: 10 Ps 40: 7-11 Heb 10: 4-10 Lk 1: 26-38 April 10 Tuesday Acts 4: 32-37 Ps 93: 1-2, 5 Jn 3: 7b-15 April 11 Stanislaus, bishop, martyr Acts 5: 17-26 Ps 34: 2-9 Jn 3: 16-21 April 12 Thursday Acts 5: 27-33 Ps 34: 2, 9, 17-20 Jn 3: 31-36 April 13 Martin I, pope, martyr Acts 5: 34-42 Ps 27: 1, 4, 13-14 Jn 6: 1-15 April 14 Saturday Acts 6: 1-7 Ps 33: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19 Jn 6: 16-21
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aster Sunday this year is on April 1. No foolin’! And that leads into this little story: An atheist was quite angry over the Easter and the Passover holidays. He contacted the local ACLU about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by all the holidays afforded to Christians and Jews, while atheists had none. The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to defend the downtrodden and assigned its sharpest attorney to the case. It was brought up before a learned judge who, after listening to the passionate presentation by the ACLU representative, promptly banged his gavel and said, “Case dismissed!” The ACLU lawyer was apoplectic and stood up to object to the ruling. “Your Honor,” he said, “how can you dismiss this case? Surely, the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And what about the Jews? In addition to Passover, they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. Yet my
MARK MY WORDS
FATHER MARK GOLDASICH Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.
client and all other atheists have no such holiday!” The judge leaned back in his chair and simply said, “Obviously, your client is too confused to know about or, for that matter, even celebrate the atheists’ holiday.” The attorney replied, “We are aware of no such holiday for atheists. Just when might that be?” The judge smiled and said, “Well, it comes every year at the same time: April 1!”
Well, that judge is half right. Indeed, people who deny the existence of God are branded as fools in the Book of Psalms: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (14:1; 53:1). On the other hand, believers in God are also seen as fools in the eyes of the world because of the style of life they choose to live. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul wrote: “We are fools on Christ’s account. . . . When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. . . . Therefore, I urge you be imitators of me” (4: 10a, 12-b13a, 16). It seems providential that this Easter Sunday is also April Fools’ Day.
It’s a reminder that we, like St. Paul, are called to be fools on Christ’s account. We Christians can be a powerful witness in the world by being fools: daring to be hopeful in the midst of the despair around us; choosing to be joyful instead of giving in to the world’s pessimism; and believing in life after death when so many succumb to accepting that this short life on earth is all that there is. To celebrate this Easter season and beyond, I’ve decided — and hope you will, too — to take up a challenge issued by Dmitry Golubnichy in his book “Can You Be Happy for 100 Days in a Row?” The author had seemingly everything that should make a person happy, yet he was not satisfied. So, he decided to do something small and simple that made him happy each day for 100 days and then post it online. After just a few days, others wanted to join in the fun and now there are some eight million people worldwide participating in the #100HappyDays
challenge. Golubnichy discovered that happiness is an active choice; it lies in small things; it’s most real when it’s shared with others; and to achieve happiness, it helps to appreciate and accept uncertainty. What makes a person happy? Well, here are some of his suggestions: Wander in an art gallery, buy a co-worker coffee, climb into fresh sheets, belt out a song, cancel a meeting and get lost in a book. In short, a person is only limited by his or her imagination. Can you be happy for 100 days in a row? What do you have to lose? Easter is a time of hope, and joy is its byproduct. These words from an anonymous source say it well: “Hope is not the closing of your eyes to the difficulty, the risk or the failure. It is a trust that if I fail now, I shall not fail forever; and if I am hurt, I shall be healed. It is a trust that life is good, and love is powerful.” Wow, who can actually believe such words? Only us fools, thank God!
What no physical eyes saw, eyes of faith can reveal
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any Protestant churches will hold a sunrise service on Easter Sunday early in the morning. Such a service reflects very well the Gospel reading that we hear for the Easter Vigil, Mk 16:1-7, which also can be used at the Easter Sunday morning Masses. It tells us about the visit of the three women — Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — to anoint the body of Jesus with the spices they had bought the evening before: “Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.” Even though most
THE GOSPEL TRUTH
FATHER MIKE STUBBS Father Stubbs is the pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Overland Park and has a degree in Scripture from Harvard University.
Catholic churches do not hold a sunrise service as such on Easter Sunday morning, many have an early morning Mass
POPE FRANCIS
every Sunday. For example, our parish has one at 7:30 a.m. every week. That would take place at about the same time as a sunrise service. On the other hand, we Catholics do have a service that closely corresponds to the Gospel reading. It is the Easter Vigil. The rubrics of the Roman Missal mandate
The revelation of God’s love toward humanity is made known through contemplating the crucifix and not just using it as a work of art or as a fashion accessory, Pope Francis said. Through the image of Christ crucified, the mystery of Jesus’ death “as a supreme act of love, source of life and salvation for humanity in every age is revealed,” the pope said March 18 before reciting the Angelus prayer with
that the Easter Vigil begin sometime after sunset on the evening of Holy Saturday and end sometime before sunrise Easter Sunday morning. It is to take place during the darkness of the night. In that way, it links us to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead sometime during the night. We do not know the exact hour. None of the Gospels reveal that. Furthermore, none of the canonical Gospels describe the event itself. Like the three women who visited the tomb that early Easter morning, we only see the emptiness of the tomb and hear the announcement of the angel. The event itself is shrouded in darkness and mystery. Why is that? There
is the obvious reason that the evangelists were not present, nor were any other human witnesses. But besides that, it may be because human words would be incapable of describing this great event, to do it justice. At the same time, that lack of description allows us to give full rein to our imaginations to visualize it. We can prayerfully place ourselves in that moment, in order to encounter the risen Christ ourselves. What no physical eyes saw, we will be able to see with the eyes of faith. This Easter, even though we are far removed from the event of the Resurrection through time and space, that still can happen.
pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Today’s Gospel invites us to turn our gaze toward the crucifix, which is not an ornamental object or a clothing accessory — that is often abused — but a religious sign to contemplate and comprehend,” he said. The pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John, in which Jesus foreshadows his death through the imagery of the grain of wheat that, once dead, “produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for