I Highly Recommend It! - Pentecost Sunday

Reflections on the Readings

May 19, 2013 - Pentecost Sunday - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

I Highly Recommend It!

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 

(1 Corinthians 12:7)

(Second Reading)

Who are your friends? Do you know anyone outside of your belief system? Do you eat lunch with them or hang out with them in any meaningful way? Do you let your kids play with the Pentecostal kids, or the Catholic kids, or the Muslim kids. In a conversation sometime back, I asked some Protestant folks, "How many Catholics do you know? Do you have any Catholic friends?" At that time they did not have any meaningful relationship with a Catholic person.

Sometimes we think we know what someone else believes or embraces concerning holy stuff. Too often what we think we know what Catholics or Pentecostals or other religions believe is based on unsubstantiated biases. Unwarranted fears or misconceptions drive many of our decisions as to who we are going to talk to and who we are going to avoid. I know this is true because I was/am one of those folks. Several years ago I told my children, "Don't you dare bring me any Catholic grandchildren!" I'm still doing penance for that brilliant statement of profound ignorance.   

There is some risk in getting to know each other. Misunderstanding can occur. An unexpected response or the lack thereof is always a possibility. For example, I recall explaining my conversion to the Catholic Church to another Catholic. I shared that my decision was based on prayer and conviction. And although I had great peace in that process, I wanted my Catholic friend to know a little something of the enormity of that decision and some of the difficulty that attended that decision. I said to this person, "It would be like if you left the Catholic priesthood and became Pentecostal!" Unexpectedly he responded, "Oh, I would never do that!" Like I said, there's risk in being just a little bit vulnerable; challenging the blind spots in ourselves and others. Still, it is a risk worth taking; a necessary effort we must embrace if the prayer Jesus prayed for our unity is to be real for us. 

In our yard we have several trees. We have Oak, and Hickory Nut, Dogwood, and a couple of Tulip Poplar trees. They provide shade and beauty and variety. All of these trees share the same yard and space. Some of them are really close to each other and their limbs intermingle. You might say we have a tree version of ecumenism. And as far as I can tell, all of these trees in our yard do not argue or express any attitudes of superiority against each other. So what does treeology have to do with theology? More than we imagine I suspect.

Making room for the Holy Spirit is something I witnessed in my Father. Daddy was always quick to acknowledge God and his presence in a matter or a prayer or song or a sermon either he or I preached. Later in life he was called to pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church. Aware of his Pentecostal background, the UMC Board of Ordained Ministry asked him how he would handle his experience and belief about speaking in tongues. Daddy responded in a manner that I can imagine they didn't see coming. My Father explained that he could not deny what God had done for him. He also put their minds at ease by saying he would never push it on anybody. And without missing a beat he added, "But I highly recommend it."

It has always struck me as a little bit curious why the UMC Board of Ordained Ministry asked my daddy that question. I'm sure they had important reasons to quiz him about his Pentecostal beliefs. But looking back on that interview I wish my Father might have asked them, "Do you have any Pentecostal friends? Do you invite the Pentecostal pastor down the street to your Ministerial Association Meetings?" In all of his 30 years of Pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church, I observed him living and preaching, and pastoring, never denying what God had done for him and always recommending a relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

There are three other very important reasons why I highly recommend inviting the Holy Spirit into our hearts and homes. 

First, Jesus reminded Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, "The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." It this wind, this Holy Spirit wind that descended upon those gathered in the Upper Room. Luke says it was the sound of a mighty rushing wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And tongues as of fire came over everyone and rested upon each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. We don't need to explain that away, but rather desire it, to ask again and again, "Holy Spirit, come! Come and fill our lives, inspire our words, empower us to give our families and our world Jesus!" 

Pentecost lets us see the Church in its nascent moment - the Church's birth and life in the Spirit. From Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost unto the ends of the earth, the witness of the Church has spread out over the world. For what reason? To make known the Jesus she knows and to invite the world to love him as she does. 

Secondly, we need the Holy Spirit to help us in our prayers. St. Jude advised the Church along this line. He said, "But you beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." 

The sainted Apostle Paul shared with the Corinthians, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all..." I think that Paul experienced that in a deep and profound prayer life. Some have called this reference to speaking in tongues 'Paul's prayer language.' (1 Corinthians 14:18) Paul taught that the Spirit helps us when we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words...for the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27) I know that in my life I've had the Spirit help me pray in some very dark moments and hours for a sick wife or child. Praying in the way Paul describes has also helped me as I have faced life changing decisions.

Thirdly, we need the Holy Spirit to help us to truly worship; to help us 'lift our hearts up to the Lord.' Jesus said, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4: 23-24) 

John the Beloved, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos because of his faith in Jesus. Nonetheless, John opens the Book of Revelation saying, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day..." The Revelation to John is filled with notable allusions to the Eucharistic Celebration. As we enter into the same Spirit as John the Beloved, we too ascend with the offering from the Table, joining our voices and songs with the angels and archangels, and with all the saints of heaven. 

And then we go back to our homes and jobs more aware than ever that to each one of us the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. The good Spirit is given to us to know the goodness of Jesus in our hearts and thoughts. Then with the Spirit's assistance we are able to bring the gentle goodness of heaven wherever it is most needed. 

The Holy Spirit? Well, let me say, "I highly recommend knowing Him better!" I hope my daddy up in heaven heard me tell you that!  Amen.   

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail him at: dennishankins@gmail.com   Visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

An Easter Farewell…Until

Reflections on the Readings

May 12, 2013 - The Ascension of the Lord - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

An Easter Farewell...Until

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 

We do not have great joy when we are separated from someone we love. Especially this is true at the loss of a loved one to death. This brings us pain and sorrow. We know that tomorrow we will wake up without their smile or phone call or daily presence in our lives. Yet, as Jesus ascends into heaven, his closest followers attended his departure into heaven with reverence and great joy. Why is this? How can this be? Is it not because he left them with a farewell filled with purpose and  promise and peace?

Jesus explains to his disciples that they are witnesses. Mary, the Mother of Jesus is the foremost witness to his coming into the world. Mary said to Gabriel, "Let it be to me according to your word." With that fiat the Holy Spirit made Mary the dwelling place of the mystery of our salvation. She is the first witness of these things. Without her we would not know the goodness of God in the forgiveness of our sins. So Mary, along with all the apostles and the whole Church profess that 'For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.'

This is our faith. We are witnesses of this. God came down from heaven to love us, to show us his mercy, and to forgive us our sins. This is the good news we are invited to live with our lives and to share in our conversations with our family and friends. From his cradle in Bethlehem to his cross in Jerusalem, Christ descended into humanity's great abyss. Reaching his hand of mercy into the dark night of our separation from the Father he lifted us up into the Merciful Rays of his Sacred Heart. This is good news. It is a conversation that needs to be reignited in our hearts. In all the world, every where that man is, into every heart let us plant the seeds of amazing grace. 

Many years ago I worked a short stint at doing sales by phone. My job was to contact pharmacies and to describe a new spill proof measuring spoon for dispensing liquid medicines. These spoons are common place today, but back then we were telling pharmacies that this would endear them to their customers. We wanted them to believe that moms would be loyal customers everafter their Pharmacist gave them a special no spill spoon to administer the medicine to their little bundles of joy. I didn't last long in that job. I became somewhat skeptical of being successful after a call to a Pharmacist in south Arkansas. He was kind in his own way and gently advised me that if I couldn't come in person to persuade him of the value of my product that he would not be interested. Something about those words from the Pharmacist struck a note deep in my deepness. 

I think that God in his unfathomable depts of his selfness loved us from an old rugged cross. From the environs of His Holy Being, where the boundless mercies of Mercy is, there stood a Lamb who was slain. That Lamb came into the world to take away our sins. Not from afar off, but near, God came near, so near that Mary would kiss his face. And under the cross, Mary would catch his tears. We, the Church, are witnesses of these things, of the cross and of his resurrection on the third day, and of the forgiveness of sins he offers us. He became man and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. And now he appears in heaven itself as our Advocate and our Friend. 

Pope Francis spoke about the Ascension recently. He explained that Christ did not abandon his followers. The Pope shared, "Jesus remains with them and, in the Father's glory, He sustains them, guides them, and intercedes for them." We have an Advocate at the right hand of the Father. 

Jesus left his Church a promise as he ascended into heaven. He called it the Promise of my Father. We will explore this promise more fully on the Feast of Pentecost next Sunday. But Jesus' ascension assures us that through the Holy Spirit Jesus is not confined to one place in one period of time. Throughout the whole world the Holy Spirit is sent among us to bring us the friendship of Jesus. This is why we can pray, "Come, Holy Spirit. Guide us. Teach us. And Glorify Jesus." 

To be a Christian, (whether a Catholic Christian or a Baptist Christian or a Pentecostal Christian,) to be a Christian is to be all about Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps us to know Christ and the love of his Father, in a powerful and deeply personal manner. The incomparable Friendship of the Holy Trinity is offered us and it is the Holy Spirit who will help us to know that Friendship. 

Friendship with Jesus is what we really crave. Whether we know it or not, everyday the desire of every heart is to know true, deep, and unending Friendship. We may seek for it in all the wrong places or in all the wrong ways, but as surely as we have breath, Jesus is not very far away. He is as near as the mention of his name. And every day he's the same; he never changes. He invites us into his life. He will clothe us with power to love as he loves, to forgive one another as he forgives us, and to be his face, his voice, his hands. This is the Promise of the Father before there was Time. This is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe.

There is in Christ's Ascension a blessing of Peace. It is not a sentimental kind of peace, but rather it is a Peace that passes all understanding. God's peace builds bridges of faith, hope, and love. It is this peace that sustains us through trials and temptations. It is this peace that reconciles us to God and to one another. 

We do not always avail ourselves of the benefits of Christ's peace. To our own hurt we may choose to be vengeful or to retaliate. Often it is necessary to remember that vengeance belongs to God. Paul says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." We are called to peace. The Church is on a mission of peace; not the kind of peace the world gives. No, my friend, the terms of peace in this world too often seeks a truce with evil, rather than overcoming evil with goodness. 

Goodness is the sister of Peace. Christ sends us into the world to be his witnesses. He chose us to be messengers of the mission of his Kingdom of Peace. Paul says, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." If we do these things, the Kingdom of righteousness, joy, and peace will grow and of that Kingdom there will be no end.

Let us go forth into all our little worlds with the Easter Farewell of Purpose, Promise and Peace fresh in our hearts, until he comes again!  Amen  

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com

     

An Easter Benediction

Reflections on the Readings

May 5, 2013 - Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

An Easter Benediction

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." - Jesus

Pope Francis said, "And now I would like to give the blessing. But first I want to ask you a favor. Before the Bishop blesses the people I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me - the prayer of the people for their Bishop. Let us say this prayer - your prayer for me - in silence." A serenity descended upon everyone. Even those watching felt the effects of that holy moment. It seemed as if the peace of Christ became tangible; not a worldly peace, but a peace from another world, a heavenly place.

Before Jesus ascended to the Father's right hand, he did a remarkable thing. Standing before his closest followers he promised them his presence, his power, and his peace. 

Jesus promises us that he will never be far from us. "I am with you always," he said. He is never far from anyone. He is close even to those who do not know him. When in faith anyone reaches out to him, they will know that he is near. Christ offers his friendship to all of us. And when we invite Christ into our lives and living, we have a friend who will never leave us, nor forsake us. 'There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.'(Proverbs 18:24)

To know Jesus is to know his strength. Every day we need the courage and strength to live as a follower of Christ. Jesus gives us the power we need to be his witnesses. He sends us into the world with a measure of his divine power, the very power that raised him from the dead. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified. (Romans 8:14-17)

Even in times of misunderstanding and resistance to the love of Christ we give, we are filled with Christ's strength. We can do all things through Christ who gives us his strength. (Philippians 4:13) In the powerful name of Jesus we can pray, live, and give a joyful witness to his love. In the matchless name of Christ we are more than flesh and blood, we are a new creation, citizens of a heavenly city.

We have the promise of Christ's life and love, his very presence. Christ gives us the energy of his life to keep us strong in the face of temptations and trials. And in this world he gives us his peace, but not the kind of peace the world gives. He gives us a peace that is mutually and spontaneously proceeding within the fellowship and friendship of the Blessed Trinity: Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23) Everyday let us invite and claim for ourselves this life of peace known and given to us in Christ.

Jesus taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children God." Jesus, the Prince of Peace, calls us to himself. He charges us to be his emissaries, to be his people sent on a special mission of spreading the Gospel of peace. In St. Paul's spiritual armor listed in Ephesians chapter 6, the foot ware of the Christian is the gospel of peace. That means we choose the road of peace and reconciliation.

The insane arsenal of the way of war is enough to blow up the world several times over. Now I ask you, which is better, the landscape in a nuclear winter, or green pastures enhanced by the calm waters that refresh the soul? I know your answer. And I agree. 

When we choose God's peace, and invite his peace into our lives, his peace gives us the way to say, "I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me." I've tried the other way more times than I care to remember. When Jesus said, "My peace I give you," the words came from deep inside him where there was no conflict between the divinity he shared within his humanity. He gives us his peace to help our humanity to not war so much against his divine nature. Now that's peace. That's the peace that comes from him who is alive forevermore. The Risen Christ blesses us with a different peace, an unworldly kind of peace, a peace that passes all understanding. This kind of peace will give us hearts and minds that are filled with Christ's love - a love that covers a multitude of wrongs - and afterward fills our lives, our homes, our work places, and our parishes, with an Easter Benediction of Peace!  Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com

   

  

The Precious Fragrance of Easter

Reflections on the Readings

April 28, 2013 - Fifth Sunday of Easter - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

The Precious Fragrance of Easter

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." - Jesus

With the Resurrection fresh in their memory, the early disciples filled Jerusalem with the precious fragrance of Easter. Through them the fragrance of  making Christ known spread everywhere. (2 Corinthians 2:14). Rehearsing the events of the betrayal, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the nascent witnesses preached fearlessly and powerfully of Incarnate Love. The claim of death, even death on a cross, was not more powerful than the Life of Love. Up from the grave Christ arose and the early church shared that news with hearts filled with love for Christ and for one another.

The believers of the early church initially gathered in community in Jerusalem. They were, as it is described in Acts, of one heart and soul. Sharing with each other, they had everything in common. An extraordinary sense of unity and belonging prevailed among all who professed faith in Jesus. The apostles guided this community and with great power gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

It is Paul who gave untiring effort to promoting the unity of the faith. The common bond within the body of Christ is love. However, contrary winds to the teaching of Christ blow everywhere. The cunning and crafty ploys of the enemy are all about. Nevertheless, the follower of Christ speaks the truth in love. It is our high calling in Christ Jesus. The body of Christ is joined and knitted together when every part is supplying what is needed. The Church, as St. Paul says, builds itself up in love; all that is good, true, and beautiful, resides in Christ's Body, the Church.

The Church is not a political power. Her strength does not come from connections with human powers. She is not a compassionate NGO seeking the approval of the state. The strength and purpose of the Church resides in the affection Christ lavished upon the whole world. And he did so from the Cross. As Pope Francis reminds us, "When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly."

Daily we are called to remember that Love is a cross; the only cross our Lord asks us to carry.After the Resurrection, the Church picked up her cross of love, and became the face of Jesus and a community created in the love of God. Jesus left us a commandment, a new commandment is what he called it: "Love one another and your neighbor as yourself." He left us the gift of love that must be shared and given to others. Jesus said, "This is how they will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." They will know. Our wife and children will know. The neighbors and coworkers will know. 

St. Paul wrote the greatest treatise on love ever written. If we do not have Christ like love we become a clanging cymbal and a noisy gong. That's an indictment against supplanting Christian love with any other way. But there is no other way. Christ is the way of love, the truth of love, the life in whom love has no measure. "Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more," and with these words Jesus absolved a lifetime of sin and invited a woman of the streets into his mercy. 

There is no greater need in the world than Christian love. Paul says, "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."(Romans 12:9-13)

We owe our families and parishes the love of God. In his love we recognize the dignity and worth of each other. May it please God that we may have a new  baptism of that love that is patient and kind. Let us pray for a new awareness of the new commandment, of love that is not jealous or boastful. God wants to give us that love that is never arrogant or rude. Neither is it ever selfish, resentful, or irritable. May we owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law of Christ.(Romans 13:8)

Too many walls divide us. Sometimes we barely know each other. It seems we are only lukewarm at best at times and the love of many has grown cold. But today, this day, we hear again the commandment, a new commandment, from him who sits on the Throne. Christ reminds us of the Fire of his Love. It warms the heart and refreshes the soul. My Christ's love burn fervently in us. The Holy Spirit is sent to fan this flame of love so that we will overcome all that is evil in this world God's way. From his Throne of Love and Grace, Jesus says to us again, "Love one another. This is my way. This is your way. It is a new day and behold, I make all things new!"

The Precious Fragrance of Easter is in the air. The Resurrected Christ, our Bridegroom, invites us to his Table. Let us come to this Love Feast today and be made new again! And after we have been nourished with love divine, let us be for our family and friends the sweet aroma of Christ. Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com

 

 

 

The Easter Voice

Reflections on the Readings

April 21, 2013 - Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

The Easter Voice

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." - Jesus

The terrorist attacks in Boston this past week remind us how powerful and destructive the voices of hatred are in our world. The young men who perpetrated this violence have deep roots in a part of the world where the voice of hatred is violently strong. In this very young century we have heard from those who speak very clearly, loudly, and violently, calling for our destruction. Our hearts go out to those grieving and hurting. We lift up our prayers for those dead and surviving. 

One wonders how much longer our world can endure the voices of the Hitlers, the Mussolinis, the Stalins, the Pol Pots, the Bin Ladins, the Castros, the Gosnells. You may not be familiar with his last one. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, is an abortionist in Philadelphia undergoing trial for what went on in his abortion clinic. Investigators describe Dr. Gosnell's abortion clinic as a "house of horrors." The grand jury report contains 58 graphic details that I cannot list here. But as I think for a moment about my first 58 years in this world, I am alarmed at how prevalent and pervasive the voices of destruction have been. These thoughts convince me that now more than ever I, we, need the Easter Voice - the voice of Jesus.

I remember when I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to follow him. It was about 1964 when I was only nine years old. In our Pentecostal tradition, it was taught that one must be born again. That's what happened to me. I heard the voice of Jesus in the immense crater of my heart inviting me to know and follow him. And in that great moment I reached up to his great hand reaching down to me and grasped it.

The Gospel today is filled with great hope and promise. We need to hear the voice of Jesus. Everyday we should pray that our hearts will be ready and willing to hear what Jesus wants us to hear. A relationship with Christ is this real and personal. We have a lifetime to have a conversation with Jesus and to hear what his heart wants to tell us. He wants to speak into our heart of hearts about his love and reconciliation he wills for us and for the whole world. His voice is too small in our world, his light in our lives is too dim, his love in our thoughts and words and actions is too often absent. And when the Voice of Easter is missing, hope is missing too. And instead of Easter there is despair. And hurtful and destructive and deadly things happen.

Martin Luther King, Jr, heard the Voice of Easter. The children's chorus, 'Red and yellow, black and white; Jesus loves the little children of the world,' was sung in churches of all colors in the 1960's. Martin Luther King, Jr, asked us to believe what we sang. He asked us to understand how colorblind God is. He asked us to let the freedom of Christ ring in our hearts and in our lives, and in our voices. The mighty Voice of the Risen Jesus spoke powerfully in the heart of this man. Prison could not squelch it. Riots could not impede it. Martyrdom has not defeated it.

Mother Theresa heard the Easter Voice. She communed with Christ everyday in prayer before the Tabernacle. In that time of prayer she listened to the Voice - the Voice of Easter. She heard Jesus say, "I am thirsty, I am hungry, I am sick, and lonely, and in prison." And then she got up and went outside her door and found Jesus on the streets of Calcutta. She bathed him, and fed him, and clothed him. Love is a cross - the only cross Jesus asks us to carry.

We are like sheep to Jesus. And to us he is like a shepherd. He is the great Shepherd of the flock of God. His voice, his magnificent voice is filled with the power and victory of Easter. It is his voice our families, and parish, and work places need to hear in us. Perhaps we can pray today to hear better the Easter Voice. How will we recognize his Voice? Perhaps the words of this hymn written by Horatius Bonar will help answer that question:

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Come unto Me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,

Thy head upon My breast."

I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary and worn and sad;

I found in Him a resting place,

And He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Behold, I freely give

The living water; thirsty one, Stoop down

and drink and live."

I came to Jesus and I drank

Of that life-giving stream.

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"I am this dark world's Light.

Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise

And all thy day be bright."

I looked to Jesus, and I found 

In Him my Star, my Sun;

And in that Light of Life I'll walk

Till traveling days are done.

We can hear the voice of Jesus and when we do let us pray that we will never again listen to another. Easter reminds us that we must never seek the living One among the dead. The dead voices of hate and destruction and death will not, do not have the last word. He who is Risen speaks with the authority of an endless and indestructible life. It's that power, the power that raised Jesus from the dead that must animate us, and fill us, and give to us the courageous voice of love, and forgiveness, and reconciliation. May we too be the Voice of Easter. Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com

  

Our Easter Mission

Reflections on the Readings

April 14, 2013 - Third Sunday of Easter - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

Our Easter Mission 

"Do you love me?" With these words, Jesus searches the heart of Peter. 

Only a few days ago, Peter vehemently denounced the Lord. "I don't know him!" he declared. Warming himself by the fire did nothing to impede the chill growing in his heart. Someone else recognized him, and yet a second time Peter denied the Lord. Then, like clock work, just as Jesus predicted, the cock crowed when the fateful words of denial escaped Peter's lips for the third time. At that dreadful moment the eyes of Peter and Jesus met and Peter ran from the comfortless fire and wept bitterly.

By the seaside Jesus sits closest to Peter as they eat breakfast together. And three times Jesus asks Peter for his heart. Three times Peter declares his love for Jesus. The symbolism is too obvious to miss. But more on that below. 

It seems to me there are at least three points to be made about today's readings. 

The first has to do with fear. Like Peter we can be paralyzed by fear. We seek the comfort of familiar things. We play it safe. We may not let our light shine as we should because we are afraid that we might be misunderstood or labeled. This fear is not imaginary. It's real. It's potent. And it's promoted. Moral beliefs in the United States are increasingly characterized as hateful and bigoted. Opinion and belief couched in a moral framework is assailed and dismissed as archaic and out of touch with reality. Sometimes, people are even labeled dangerous who embrace what is understood as traditional values.

Peter and company appeared before the Sanhedrin and were warned to stop speaking in the name of Jesus. "You've filled Jerusalem with your teaching. Now stop it!" they demanded. There was a time when Peter might have complied. But no longer. Jesus had met with him in grace and in the power of resurrection life. This personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus gave new life and freedom to the once fearful and timid disciple. And we too must have that relationship with Jesus. When we know Christ, I mean really know him, and the power of his resurrection, we too can count it a privilege to suffer for knowing him; to obey God rather than men.

The second point has to do with failure. There was that time in Peter's life when he wept bitterly for denying Christ. Like Peter, we have sometimes denied the Lord complete and full residence in our lives. There are times when we have not picked up our cross and followed Jesus wherever he may lead. But like Peter we can know the grace of God that is greater than our sin and failings. Where sin and failure is great, God's grace is greater, stronger, and woos us back into the Father's heart.

On that seashore, Jesus woos Peter back into the power of his love. "Yes, I love you," Peter assures Christ, somewhat distressed. The memory of leaving his first love brings pain and distress to Peter. But Jesus asks Peter for all of his heart and for all of his help to feed the precious flock of God. "My sheep know my voice and they will hear my voice in your words. Tend to my sheep and feed my lambs, and I will be with you always," Jesus assures his servant, Peter.

When we love Jesus as we are invited to love him, there is no failure that is stronger than Christ's love. You may think yourself doomed to live forever in your mistakes and failures and bad decisions. But there is a Savior who is not willing that you should perish. He is in fact not willing that any one should live outside of his love, but he invites all of us into repentance and salvation.

I'm reminded of the hymn: Come Thou Fount. In that hymn is the prayerful plea to God to help us be strong and faithful. The second stanza in part says:

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love,

Here's my heart. O take and seal it;

Seal it for thy courts above.

And that brings us to the third point. It has to do with faithfulness. We must always pray for the grace and power to be faithful. Inviting the spirit of the Gospel to penetrate deeply into our hearts will give us more desire and strength to be faithful. The Good News of the Kingdom of God forms and shapes our hearts, our words, and our actions. The stories Jesus about love and forgiveness are timeless. His power to heal both body and soul has not diminished these 21 centuries. The Gospel remains the Good News of a loving Father who sent his Son into a world filled with hate, and violence, and scorn for all that his true, and good, and beautiful. And to that world he still says, "Come unto me all of you and find rest for your souls." It is this message of Christ we are asked to faithfully share with everyone.

As I grow older, it seems to me that the Christian life is more like a marathon than like a sprint. The scriptures are filled with promises of salvation to all who endure. As we plod along we can ask the Holy Spirit to be with us and to teach us and to guide us and to glorify Jesus through us. Praying that prayer will help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) 

A vision of Christ is given to us by John in the reading from Revelation today. It is a vision of Jesus as the Lamb of God who was once slain. But he no longer suffers the ridicule and wagging heads on Golgotha. Now, right now, he is at the right hand of the Father, high and lifted up. In that regal setting he receives blessing and glory and honor. A countless number of living creatures and angels and elders sing, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!" And the elders fall down and worship him in that holy place. Let us join them at the altar of Grace. Let us receive the body and blood of Jesus and become for the world a living sacrifice of his presence even him who loved us and gave himself for us and for the whole world.  This is our Easter mission until he comes again! Amen.

    Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com

Easter Mercy

Reflections on the Readings

April 7, 2013 - Second Sunday of Easter - Year C

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

Easter Mercy

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

In this Gospel passage is the second time we read where God's breath directly contacts humans. The first time is when God brought Adam into a living relationship with himself. Through this action Adam became a living soul. This second time, Jesus, the God-Man, breathes on his disciples. What is the purpose of this divine breath Jesus breathes on his disciples? Through his breath Jesus gives to his apostles the grace to forgive sins. 

We experience this living breath when in confession we hear the priest proclaim: 

God the Father of mercies,

through the death and resurrection of his Son

has reconciled the world to himself

and sent the Holy Spirit among us

for the forgiveness of sins; 

through the ministry of the Church

may God give you pardon and peace,

and I absolve you from you sins

in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit. 

These words of absolution are spirit and life. They bring to our soul new life. They give to us a deeper living relationship with him who loved us and gave himself for us. In confession the Paschal Mystery breathes into a new flaming fervency the gift of faith given to us in baptism. 

The Mystery of Easter is a new day of mercy that has come upon the world. It is a mercy that is long suffering, invoking a kindness that is pure and gentle. One might think of God's kindness like the unconditional cuddling a mother gives her baby when she draws it to her breast for nourishment. Such is the heart of God where mercy is; it is more than abundant, it is without measure; it is sufficient and greater than all our sin. The fervent charity of God's heart is open for whosoever will; all are welcome.

Mercy is not something God withholds. It is something however we may find difficult to seek or think ourselves unworthy. This would have merit if it were not the fact that the first reading today shows God's love and help and mercy accessible and powerful in its effects even in the shadow of Peter. In Peter's shadow Easter Mercy heals the afflicted in body and soul and spirit. None were left out. Peter wrote of God's closeness to his people in his first epistle. To his parishioners at Rome he invited them into the very bosom of the Father saying, "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7)

These words from Peter are filled with the memories of a shadow he cast many years before. In his shadow he witnessed the living Lord of Calvary continuing his ministry of healing the sick, casting out unclean spirits, healing them of their infirmities of heart and mind and body. Human need has not changed nor has Christ for he is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

The power of mercy is possible because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He suffered the ignominy of the cross because of the joy of Easter that loomed in his future. Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith bowed his head on an old rugged cross and crowned a new day of mercy with his inimitable words, "It is finished." From his pierced side, redemption flowed in the form of merciful water and blood. And one day we'll stand in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene looking on the only things that are manmade in heaven, the wounds of Jesus that procured for us mercy and forgiveness. On that day we shall  proclaim in the words of Thomas: "My Lord and my God!"

Shouldn't we who are recipients of such boundless mercy be disposed to show mercy to others? If Christ forgives us in a spirit of mercy shall we not also forgive those who trespass against us? This is the power and mission of Easter. It is God's power in us. It is our mission. For all who have freely received are asked to freely give. 

Easter Mercy is the great wonder and joy of knowing Christ. It is this Christ who with infinite mercy invites all who are burdened heavily with sin and despair to come to him. In the shadow of the steeple on our churches reside many who are dead in trespasses and sins. Let us invite them into the protection and shadow of Easter Mercy. Let us say to them and to each other: Fear not, He who is the first and the last lives now and forevermore. He died, and behold He Lives and holds in his hands the keys of Death and Hades. And his mercy is without end!

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Amen.  

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com