Trinity Sunday cycle C

John 16:12-15

Several weeks ago Joan and I attended the first birthday of our youngest grandson, John Joseph.  I’m pretty deaf and hearing aids aren’t very helpful when there is a lot of background noise, so I was sitting silently trying to look like a wise old patriarch instead of someone who was clueless as to what was going on.  One of my grandsons pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. I never had much of a conversation with him before so this was very unusual.  

“Do you think you have to believe in God to be a good person?” he asked.  “Of course not,” I replied.  “Because I don’t think I really believe in God,” he went on. “When you read the stories in the bible, God seems to be cruel, forgetful, get angry for very little reason, and then he sends people to hell.  I have a hard time believing in that god.”  

I thought for a few moments and replied, “To tell you the truth, I don’t believe in that god either.”  I tried to explain that for me, the Bible is full of stories written by human beings whe have encountered something of God, which they try to put into words.  The bible is inspired, of course, but we need a guide.  And for Catholics, the guide is the Church, but the Church only draws us back to Jesus over and over again, so the real guide to the scriptures and the nature of God is this person Jesus.  Is this logical? No.  Can I prove it? No.  The issue is not whether or not you  believe in God, or what kind of God you believe in or want to believe in.  The issue is how you understand this person Jesus.  Because You don’t begin with Adam and Eve and the serpent.  You begin with the person who said, “Philip, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  and the person who spoke about the Spirit who will guide you to all truth; and the person who proclaimed that “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

There have been many attempts by great minds to explain the Trinity.  It can’t be done.  In fact there is a whole subdivision of theology that points out why such explanations are wrong.  Saint Patrick was to have held up a shamrock and explained the Trinity, comparing the three leaved plant to the three persons.  That was actually a heresy.  Thomas Aquinas said the Trinity is like a person generating a perfect image of himself which he loves, and it loves him back, and the love is the Holy Spirit.  I’m not sure if this is a heresy or not but I’m not sure I understand it either.  There are attempts to say the Trinity is like water -- solid as ice, liquid as water, and gass as steam.  Nope.  Likewise, it’s like the Sun, which generates a sunbeam, which warms something.  No.  A recent book by a priest from Stockbridge said it’s like this; we humans are all members of the species “homo sapiens”.  The three persons of the Trinity are members of the species “God”.  He’s wrong.  And I could go on, but the point is that if you try to explain the Trinity, you are missing the point.

This is not an explanation for the Trinity.  But I think if we look at how other religions see God, we might get a little breakthrough.  If you are Muslim, you believe in a God who is completely other, completely sufficient in himself, completely happy, powerful, knowing -- and the list goes on.  But why on earth should such a God create anything?  He needs nothing, He desires nothing.  He’s totally complete.  The God of our forebears, the Jews, gets involved with the human race, which he creates in his image and likeness.  Why he creates at all is not clear, but he does so and recognizes that what he made is good.  We then have thousands of years in which he draws out from the human race the Jews, who are supposed to be an example to the nations of how to render proper worship.  But still, the question is “Why”.

That’s where the Trinity comes in.  If I love someone, I like to give them things; and if the one I love loves me, she gives things to me as well.  God is perfect love, and for all eternity has the Son to give things to -- and the Son gives back to the Father.  The power to give out of love is the Holy Spirit.  That’s why we have a universe, that’s why humans exist, that’s why Jesus died on the cross to give himself completely to the Father.  And all we can do is look at this loving God who loves everything into existence and plans that all will work together for good, even death and sin.  He weaves this into a gift for the Son who gives it back through the Spirit.  And we imitate this at Mass, this loving movement, when we offer God our bread and wine and he gives us back the Son, through the Spirit that brings about this transformation.

Don’t wrestle with the Trinity.  Just remember, the Trinity means that God is Love, completely, and you are loved, and others are loved through you because the Spirit spills over into each of our lives.  Happy Father’s Day.  

Seventh Sunday in Easter, cycle C

John 17:20-26

The passage we just read is from the prayer that Jesus prayed at the Last Supper.  After this the next prayer will be when he begs the Father to take the cup from him.  Then he goes on to his passion and death.  So this is a really important prayer and what does He pray for?  Not for us to be more holy, not to have us pray more; not even to have us go to heaven, although that is implied, obviously because if we are one with Jesus the Father will never let us go.  What Jesus does pray for is unity, that his followers consciously seek to become one with each other and with Jesus himself.  And we don’t do a very good job of it.

Jesus wants unity for four reasons.  The first reason is that we may be one just as the Father and Jesus are one.  Second, that we may be brought to perfection by receiving the glory given to Jesus.  Third, that we will show the world through our unity so that everyone will know that the Father has sent Jesus into the world.  Fourth, that we will be where Jesus is, so that the love the Father has for Jesus will embrace us as well.  

That’s quite a list. The gospel reading is one which you should go back to, maybe at the end of Mass or at home, and read slowly and thoughtfully.  It tells us in summary form the whole purpose of why God became man, suffered and died for us, and left us the Church.  It tells us that we have a God who created us as free creatures, then gave himself entirely to us through Jesus; and waits expectantly for our response.  It reminds me of a marriage proposal, in which one of the lovers puts everything on the line and waits to hear the response of the other.  And the other, by the way, is not you, not me.  The other is you and the people of God, me and the people of God.  Jesus is praying for all those who believe in him through the words of his apostles, words which continue to be put out there for the whole of mankind, two thousand years later and counting.  

I read an essay this week about the transhumanist movement.  As you may know, technology billionaires like Elon Musk, Tim Cook, who runs Apple, Sundar Pichai, who runs Google, and several others, are all pursuing ways to enhance human beings.  You may have heard of neuralink, a technology which can translate brain waves into print, so that people who are disabled from things like Lou Gehrig’s disease can communicate again.  And many of these people are looking for a way to replace cell phones.  Brain implants, eyeglasses, tattoos --- they have several interesting and scary ideas.  And we can’t forget artificial intelligence.  They have come up with one that can converse with you like a real person, only without misunderstandings or misinterpretations of your words.  

But Jesus started a transhumanist movement a long time ago.  The Father invites us to become one with Jesus, who is God and man.  The Father through Jesus invites us to share in his divinity.  When we achieve this, we will have gone as far as possible for human beings to be enhanced; we will be divine by adoption.  

Jesus wanted a way for people to become one in him.  During his time on earth, he participated in many meals.  When you look at the Gospels, Jesus frequently accepts invitations to parties, to suppers; and even after the Resurrection he shares in meals with his disciples.  Eating together is a very human thing.  Birds in our backyard fight over birdseed.  Our two cats push each other out of the way to get at their food.  But for people, eating together goes along with being civilized, building family values, and growing in our humanity.  So, Jesus left us instructions about the meal which brings us to divinity, that makes us one, the Holy Eucharist.  And being God, he made it possible for us to consume his body and blood, and through this act, receive the grace to become more and more like Jesus, and united more and more with each other.  The Eucharist, of course, is the tip of the iceberg, the Church, through whose sacraments God continues to make us divine.  

So please, again, meditate on this gospel and listen to Jesus’ prayer for you, for me, for his church.  And when you come to Mass look around and see the people God has given to Jesus so that Jesus can continue the work of making us into divine beings.  

Sixth Sunday of Easter, cycle C

John 14:23-29

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles represents a profound step in  the life of  the church.  Circumcision of men was a common custom among people living in the near East over many hundreds of years.  It wasn’t something unique to the Jewish people.  However, the Israelites made circumcision a religious act, and Nobody thought to question this.  When the Church began enrolling gentiles, circumcision became a controversial issue.  On the one hand, it was  obvious that the gentile converts were truly incorporated into the church.  They manifested the marks of the holy spirit.  On the other hand, they were not following the Jewish law, which included circumcision.  And in today’s reading we see the Church prayerfully reflecting and making the decision that the Gentiles  would have the same status as the Jewish Christians.  In other words, the Holy Spirit, even after Jesus had ascended into heaven, was guiding the Church as it faced new challenges.  

And that's what Jesus means when he tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them everything and remind them of  all he has  already told them.  Jesus promises that as new things happen,  as new challenges  arose, the Holy Spirit will be there guiding the Church.  

That’s a difference between Protestants and Catholics.  Our Protestant brothers and sisters have  read the same scriptures  we read, and yet if you  go  around the world  and count the different protestant denominations, I think the last time I looked that up  there were about 3000 of them.  You would find that although  some denominations are very dogmatic about belief and practice, the vast majority hold to a watered down Christianity which makes no hard and fast rules.  But look again at the reading from the Acts of the apostles.  The early Christians were very serious about remaining a united body while they faced these divisive  questions.  They undoubtedly remembered that their Lord had prayed that all might be one.  

Jesus makes an incredible promise in the gospel.  If we love him we will keep his word, and the Father will love us and Jesus and the father will come  and dwell in us.  That’s an awesome promise, but it means that loving Jesus is not a feeling, it’s the conscious effort to keep his word.  And of course that means we need to know what he tells  us.  Because Jesus, as promised, is  present in our midst, and will  be until  the end of time.  How is he present?  First, he is present in the Eucharist.  None of us can really understand this mystery, but we know by faith that it is Jesus we receive when we receive communion.  Jesus assures us that he wishes to become one with us, he seeks to dwell in us together  with  the Father, from whom he cannot be separated.  Jesus  loves our bodies and our souls, that’s why he feeds himself  to us.  

The second way Jesus is present is in each other..  He promised that he would live in us, and so he does.  When you look at another person you need to presume Jeus is united to that person, that Jesus lives in that person.  This should stir up love  for each other and the desire to bring peace to that person in whatever way we can do  so.  In  the Eucharist God shows that he loves us; in  the other person, God calls  us to go out of ourselves and love each other in whatever way we can.  Love is action, of course, not a feeling.  

The third way Jesus is present is in the scriptures and the teachings of the Church which ultimately elaborate on what is in  the  scriptures.  Long ago in a manner similar  to  the decision to allow gentiles  to be full members of  the Church  without circumcision, the Church decided which among many writings showed inspiration by God.  The Church leaders trusted that the Holy Spirit was with them, and the outcome was the Bible -- the word of God.  The Church continues to rely on the Holy Spirit.  Revelation continues and so we have various doctrines like the Trinity, the fact that Jesus is both God and man, the teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, that she was taken up to heaven body and soul -- and of course the teachings of the Popes and the councils of the Church -- all of which cannot contradict scripture,  but can elaborate on those ideas. 

Someone said that those of us who are baptized and who are in the state of grace are closer to Jesus and the Father than the apostles ever were during Jesus’ lifetime.  So let us continue to grow in love for each other and in continuing to study what he has revealed to us so that we can keep is word.  The Holy Spirit is with the Church, but dwells in each of us as well.  

Third Sunday of Easter, cycle C

 John 21:1-19

If you were to read the four gospels, there is an interesting thing that stands out. It has to do with the chief of the apostles, Peter. The gospel writers refer to him consistently as “Peter” or “Simon Peter”. John seems to prefer “Simon Peter”. The other gospel writers are not so consistent.

We all know how the fisherman Simon got the name of Peter. It was at that moment when Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The apostles had various guesses, but Simon said, “You are the Messiah of God” or words to that effect. And Jesus answers, “Blessed are you, Simon, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in Heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. The so-called synoptic gospels all tell the same story with slightly different words. In the Gospel of John, though, it is when Peter’s brother Andrew introduces Peter to Jesus, that Jesus looks at him and says, “You are Simon, son of John, You will be called Cephas *(which is translated as Peter). Because Cephas means rock, and so does Peter.

But that is literally the only place that Jesus calls the leader of the apostles by a name other than Simon, and the writer of John’s gospel takes pains to translate the term Cephas, so as near as we can tell, according ot John, at least, Jesus never addresses him as Peter; it’s always “Simon” or Simon, son of John”. And yet, John the gospel writer freely uses the name Peter, or sometimes “Simon Peter” when he is telling his story. And so here we are at the end of John’s gospel, as he describes the last encounter Jesus will have with his apostles, before his ascension into heaven. And Jesus only uses the name “Simon” in the last conversation he will have with Peter.

The conversation is recorded in today’s gospel. If we heard it in Greek, it might sound something like this: “Simon, do you love me enough to die for me?” Because Jesus uses the greek word “agape”. And Simon replies “Lord, you know that I love you like a brother” because Simon uses the word “phylia” which means “to love like you would love a brother.”. Jesus askes the same question a second time, and Simon replies the same way. Finally Jesus asks the question a little differently: Simon, do you love me like a brother?” and that is when Simon gets distressed and replies, “You know I love you like a brother”.

Peter has been Jesus’ disciple for three years; he’s followed him up and down the roads of Galilee, and finally to Jerusalem. Peter has more than once spoken from his heart about his love and loyalty to Jesus. But when it comes down to proving his loyalty and love, Peter claimed that he never heard of Jesus, not once but three times. And in all the appearances Jesus made after his resurrection up till now, he never speaks directly to Peter. And I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind. Guilt, sure. Regret, most likely. But Peter has been tested, and failed the test. And he knows it. Remember how this scene at the lake started? Peter said to his fellow disciples, “I am going fishing”. Did he decide to go back to his old way of life because he felt that Jesus would never forgive him?

And then Jesus speaks to him. He calls him “Simon” not Peter. In doing so he brings Peter back to the time they first met. And in his question, Jesus is asking about the depth of Peter’s love, about it’s quality. And Peter can only answer, not as much as I should, not as much as I want to. I love you as much as I can, but not as much as you want. And in Jesus’ third question, he accepts what Peter has to offer. Jesus accepts that Peter’s love is not complete, not enough to die for him. And yet Jesus doesn’t take away Peter’s position as the leader of his church, in fact, he reinforces it in front of the other apostles. Feed my lambs; tend my sheep; feed my sheep. And Jesus promises that a day will come when Peter will love him enough to die for him; they will stretch out his hands and dress him and lead him to where he does not want to go -- a reference to Peter’s crucifixion, when he dies like his master. To me this scene on the shore is consoling. It tells me that Jesus accepts my imperfect love, and despite all my imperfections and lack of boldness, he will continue too love me and use me, a very imperfect instrument. And while I live I can hope to grow in my love for Him.

Jesus names Simon Peter, which means “Rock”. But the name Simon has a meaning as well. It means “the one who hears”. Let us all hear those words, “Do you love me?” and let us respond, “As much as I can, Lord”.

Second Sunday in Easter 2025

 Second Sunday of Easter 2025

John 20:19-31

Our gospel tells us that when Jesus made his first appearance in the locked room Thomas was not with them.  We don’t know why.  We do know that the apostles were afraid for their lives because of their association with Jesus -- Maybe that was Thomas’ motivation.  Or maybe he was like those disciples on the way to Emmaus -- he’d given up when Jesus was crucified; he was heading home trying to beat the traffic.  In any event he is there now, listening to his brother disciples telling him with great excitement that Jesus is alive again.  They are talking about how the Lord gave them authority to forgive sins, authority to spread the good news.  And they were very afraid when this first happened but now their courage has returned, and they are essentially proposing that Thoams take their claims on faith.  

Thomas comes across in the few places we meet him as someone who asks questions -- When Jesus tells them he is going away but one day they would follow him, he exclaims, “Lord, wew don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way”?  And in another palace when Jesus gives his prediction that he will suffer and be crucified, Thomas says, “Let us go and die with him.”  Thomas has speaking parts in the scriptures, but he clearly isn’t one of the favored three -- Peter, James and John; and he isn’t one of the favorite five -- those three plus Andrew and Philip.  And yet during Jesus’ life Thomas is faithful.  But Jesus is dead, Thomas thinks, and the apostles are blowing smoke.  But when I hear Thomas’ words, “Unless I put my fingers in his hands and my hand in his side, I will not believe” it may sound like doubt, but I think there is some anger there as well.  If Jesus has appeared to the ten, why did he leave Thomas out?  

And I feel like that sometimes.  I read about great saints and small saints, and how the Lord worked miracles in their lives.  Some saints were holy almost from birth; others were great sinners.  But when you read their biographies, it’s as though they were given a special privilege -- an apparition; a miracle of some sort; an impossible healing -- whatever it was, it kick-started them on the way to become saints.  Even Mary, his mother, saw an angel who assured her that she was full of grace, beloved of God, destined to be remembered for all time.  I sympathize with Thomas.  I think he is angry and hurt.

In the time after the crucifixion Jesus was betrayed.  Peter swore that he did not know the man.  The other apostles were nowhere to be found when Jesus drew his last breath, except the apostle whom Jesus loved.  His mother and a couple of other ladies that followed him were there at his cross, but the vast majority of his friends were gone.  From 2000 years later and from all the Easters we’ve celebrated personally we can’t possibly appreciate the emotions those apostles experienced when they met the risen Christ.  So why does Jesus return to these men and women who betrayed him, who didn’t believe him, some of whom witnessed impossible miracles, some of whom heard the voice of the father at the transfiguration.  

That’s kind of what Mercy Sunday is lal about.  Jesus loves us so much that despite our failures, despite our doubt, our betrayal, he wants to form a loving relationship with each one of us. And that’s a message that comes through loud and clear in the post resurrection stories.  He is so changed that many don’t recognize him at first.  But he calls Mary’s name, he breaks the bread, he cooks a fish on the fire by the lake and in those moments he is recognized.  That is the first step towards forming that relationship, and Jesus takes that step.  It’s no different with Thomas.  Jesus says, in effect, “if that’s what it will take for you and I to have this relationship, then so be it.  “Put your fingers in my hands, your hand in my side, and believe.”

And that’s one of the reasons this is Mercy Sunday.  Sister Faustina, whose writings so influenced John Paul II, had a mystical insight.  She writes that at death Jesus calls the soul to himself not once but three times.  If the soul remains unresponsive, God grants it a final grace, a special light by means of which the soul begins to understand God’s effort.  The soul knows this is a final grace, and if it shows even a flicker of goodwill, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest.

The writer of the fourth gospel refers to Thomas, also called Didymus.  Thomas is a nickname in Aramaic which means “the twin”.  Didymus in Greek means the same thing.  Maybe the gospel writer means for us to see ourselves in Thomas, our twin, who doubts, who is hurt, who is angry.  But the Lord’s great mercy overcomes all of that in order to call Thomas to himself -- and he calls you and I to himself as well, and will do so as long as there is any effort on our part, however poor and weak our effort is.  His mercy has no limits and that’s what we celebrate today.

Easter 2025

John 20:1-9

Richard Dawkins is one of the most outspoken atheists in the world.  He’s written books proving, at least in his eyes, that there is no such thing as God or an afterlife.  He’s a very smart man and his logic has shored up many others who are atheists.  Today’s gospel is about belief, and I’ll get back to Richard later.

Today’s gospel describes three encounters with the empty tomb.  The first is Mary Magdalene.  If all we had was John’s gospel, we would have heard about her first when she stood at the foot of the cross, and this would be the second time.  She must have been well known to the early Christians.  It’s said that after the Resurrection Mary went about proclaiming the “Resurrection all through the Roman empire.  According to some early writers, Mary was independently wealthy and moved among the rich and famous.  In some icons she is shown holding a red egg; this is because of the story that she was having supper with the emperor Tiberius.  In the course of the conversation he told her that he would as soon believe the resurrection as he would believe the egg she had in her hand was red.  And it became so.  But we meet a younger Mary in the gospel story, who confronts the empty tomb and doesn’t believe, not yet anyway.  To her the empty tomb means that the grave4 has been robbed.  It will take the personal appearance of Jesus to convince her otherwise.  

The second character is the beloved disciple.  John never calls himself the disciple whom Jesus loved.  IN fact it probably isn’t John the apostle who wrote the gospel of John.  Frankly we don’t know who the beloved disciple is.  Many people think John is saying something like “the beloved disciple is the ideal disciple, in contrast to the real people around him.”  The beloved disciple sees what Mary saw, and believes, even though as the gospel says, he did not understand the scripture that Jesus had to arise from the dead.  I assume the beloved disciple believed on the basis of the empty tomb, and that’s a hint as to the kind of faith we must have. Because in the end, you can find evidence for the Resurrection, or you can claim Resurrection is a myth.  But there is no proof one way or another, and it ultimately comes down to faith, faith which is not just belief but acting on that belief.

The third character is Peter.  In the light of all the gospels, Peter stands out.  He’s a real person.  We can all identify with him.  He’s a man of great enthusiasm, and he makes powerful statements.  “You are the Messiah of God” he exclaims. He steps off the boat into the sea to walk on water, but it doesn’t work and Jesus has to rescue him.  He tells Jesus that if it means fellowship with him, then wash my hands and my head as well as my feet!  He pledges to be with Jesus even if it means death.  And then he betrays him in the courtyard of the high priest.  You and I are Peter, and like Peter, we see the evidence, the empty tomb, the burial cloths , the covering of the head.  And our gospel does not tell us what Peter believes.  Like the beloved disciple, he also did not understand the scripture that said Jesus must rise from the dead.  Later, of course, Jesus will appear to him, several times, but at this moment he’s somewhere between Mary Magdalene and the beloved disciple.  Sometimes if you are like me, you are there as well.  

But we have more than Peter had.  We have two thousand years of history.  We know what life was like before the Resurrection.  Things were pretty much the same from the earliest recorded history to the time when Jesus was born.  Empires rose and fell, tribes distrusted and fought other tribes, people worshipped gods by sacrificing their children to them.  Kings built monuments to themselves and great tombs to assure themselves of immortality -- it didn’t matter whether it was in Egypt or China, or the Aztec empire.  All over the world the bottom line was power.  But after the resurrection, the world has changed.  Sure, there’s always the tendency to revert back to those primitive times when might made right.  It’s going on in the middle east, in Russia and the Ukraine, in Iran, in North Korea.  But we have societies where there is compassion for the poor; where people are motivated to wipe out diseases, to dispel ignorance through education.  We have societies in our world where people cooperate to improve the lives of  citizens.  We have a world where more and more people have the time and opportunity to  become better versions of themselves.  Do we take advantage of this? Is the work of building up God’s kingdom complete?  Of course not.  But there is no denying that the impact on the world of the Resurrection is real.  Jesus walks among us.  We encounter the resurrected Christ in scriptures, in love, in beauty, in wisdom, and in a world gradually being transformed into the kingdom Jesus promised.  

Richard Dawkins, the author of “The God Delusion” has made it clear that even if he doesn’t believe in God he has called  himself  a "cultural Christian," appreciating the traditions, hymns, and ethos associated with Christianity,. Dawkins has also stated that if he had to choose between Christianity and other religions, he would choose Christianity, because of its societal and cultural impact.  Even he recognizes the impact that Jesus Christ has made and continues to make.  

You and I, Mary Magdalene and the beloved disciple, and Peter, all stand before the empty tomb and in the end, what is our response?  Let it be that  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and death has been defeated, and our world is continuing to be transformed into God’s kingdom even now.  

Good Friday 2025

John 18:1-19:42

The Passion we read on Good Friday is taken from the Gospel of John.  It’s long and there are so many things we could think about.  Towards the end of the gospel we hear this passage:  “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdala.  We also assume the disciple whom Jesus loved was there as well, since Jesus spoke to him from the cross.

Mary, his mother, was there.  Long ago when she was a teenager she had a vision of the angel Gabriel, who informed her that she was to become the mother of the Redeemer.  And Mary said “Be it done to me as you say”.  She didn’t know what she was getting into.  None of us do when we tell God to use us as he wishes to use us.  Mary  speaks two more times in scripture -- when she says to Jesus “Son, why did you do this?  Your father and I have  been searching for you”.  And another time, when she tells the waiter to “do whatever he tells you”.  If you had met Mary you would probably not have been impressed.  She probably wore something like a hijab when she went out of her home.  Her clothing was coarse, and she probably had woven the cloth herself.  If you saw her on the streets of Nazareth she would be carrying a basket, taking something from her garden to the market, bringing something else home.  And every day was like every other day, except when Jesus was lost; except when she and her family celebrated a Jewish holiday; except when Joseph died, and except when she heard about the fact that her son was going to be executed.   And she is standing there, looking at her son, suffering with him, her heart broken.  The one God chose as his mother, the woman conceived without sin, the most perfect human -- and yet she isn’t spared pain and poverty and all the sufferings human life offers.  Can we expect otherwise?

Then we meet Mary, the wife of Clopas, the sister of Jesus’ mother, according to John.  In the gospel of Luke two disciples of Jesus were on the road to Emmaus, despondent because the one they thought would save Israel had been crucified.  One was named “Cleopas”.  It’s not unlikely that the other was his wife.  Some of the Christian writings that never made it into the bible said that Cleopas, or Clopas, was the brother of Joseph.  It would seem unlikely that Mary’s parents would have named two daughters “Mary”, so if all this is true, Mary’s sister was probably her sister in law.  Mary, the wife of Clopas must have made an impression on the early Christians, because she is probably the Mary in Mark who is the mother of James and Joses, two of Jesus’ cousins.  I suspect that Mary of Clopas and Jesus’ mother were good friends, and Mary of Clopas is there,risking her own life to lend support to her sister in law.  She is an example of real friendship, the kind that we Christians are called to.  Do we go out of our way to comfort those we know who are on the margins, who are ill, who are old and unable to get around anymore?  True friends are there when you need them the most and don’t drift away like Jesus’ other friends.

And there is Mary Magdalene.  I picture her as younger -- Maybe because I was heavily influenced by that old Movie, “Jesus Christ, Superstar”.  In the movie and the broadway musical, Mary Magdalene is  depicted as someone who is more or less smitten by Jesus -- she’s in love with him.  And that’s consistent with some of the early Christian writings as well, where she is depicted as Jesus’ confidant, his closest disciple.  We really don’t know much about Mary’s background -- all we know is that Jesus at some point drove seven devils out of her.  Mary was lost -- possessed -- and then rescued by Jesus.  No wonder she loves him.  And she is at the foot of the cross, grateful.  And after the resurrection her loyalty and love will be rewarded because she will be the first to meet the risen Lord.  She is the apostle to the apostles.  

And finally there is the beloved disciple.  Down through the ages that individual is identified with the writer of the gospel of John, who in turn is thought to be the apostle John.  But neither is true.  John’s gospel is very different from the others, and emphasizes Jesus’ divinity.  And whenever you meet the beloved disciple, John wants you to put yourself there, in that scene.  It’s like a place marker for his readers.  And in this place John invites you to put yourself at the foot of the cross, and think about what God has done for you in the person of  Jesus, and how the church springs forth from his side when he is lanced, and how he offers his mother to be your mother, and how he is the perfect image of the Father’s love. 

So today on Good Friday you are there -- with his mother, with her best friend, and with the woman who loves him because of what he has done for her.  YOu are the beloved disciple. Go and tell everyone you know that they are beloved as well.