[The picture of deer kissing speaks of new life, Easter life, spring hope, eternal life now, peace.]

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (Jn 14:27)

This is part of Jesus’ farewell pep talk to the disciples. Although they do not get it, Jesus wants to reassure them. This is also written for the Johannine community as it tries to grasp the reality of Jesus after the resurrection, after the time he is no longer present to them in the same way he had been. It is written for us as we live in a world where peace is secured by the sword. Continue Reading

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me. (Jn 6:37-38)

Jesus is speaking in the context of the Bread of Life—I AM the Bread of Life. When we examine all the Gospels and all the eating and drinking stories, we understand that he welcomed all to the table. It is called open table fellowship. He partied with tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. Jesus’ community and the early communities were inclusive. Continue Reading

The more I study Merton and contemplative living, the less contemplative I seem to be. I know where I want to be but do not seem to be there. Like the Galileans in John 6, I am searching and seeking. The crowd is pursuing Jesus. At one point, they want to install him as king and overthrow Rome. Jesus goes into solitude. Later, after a frantic search back and forth across the lake, they are back again, ““What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?” Remember this Gospel is the Johannine’s community coming to grips with the reality of Jesus.

The questions of the Galilean crowd show that they are not centered. They do not have a contemplative focus. They are not focused on Jesus as the Bread of Life. They have not fully committed to him. Their hunger and the hunger he came to satisfy are poles apart. Continue Reading

Just Another Day?

Yawn—it’s another day.

This is the day God has made.

What will I do today?

Rejoice in God always. Again, I say, “Rejoice!”

Where will I go today?

Go into your room and pray to God in secret.

What will I accomplish today?

Be still and know that I am God.

What will I be today?

Be what you already are in My image.

What will I see today?

I have come to give sight to the blind.

What will I hear today?

Listen to the Word made flesh.

Will I see Jesus today?

Look into the eyes of another person.

What will I eat today?

Do not work for food that perishes.

Will I be OK today?

Look at the lilies of the field.

Will others be OK today?

Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick . . .

Will my fishing net still be empty at the end of the day?

Come to the shore and eat fish and bread.

What a day!

Another amazing gift from the creator!

© J. Patrick Mahon, 2010

Ruins Tiberias-Jordan Headwaters

Wes Howard-Brooke’s Becoming Children of God: John’s Gospel and Radical Discipleship, recommended by John Dear, really helps me see the social dimension of John’s Gospel. Chapter 6 which begins today is John’s long chapter on the Eucharist—Jesus is the Bread of Life.

John 6:1-15 is the feeding of the 5000. Jesus, condemning the Judeans, has returned to Galilee—he is back in the boondocks where large crowds follow him and hunger after him. He is home. The locale is the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). This is where Herod built a great city to replace the city of Sepphoris. It was built on “a necropolis—a city of the dead—which made it unclean under the Torah. Thus the Jesus’ followers from this city were unclean. They were seeking relief from the tyranny of the “Judean Temple-state.” Howard-Brook goes on to say, that the crowd “in their pursuit of basic economic security . . . had chosen to let go of the religious security of Torah obedience. In the world of the Johannine community, these people were not a historical relic like the Jerusalem priests, but a thriving mass of humanity in search of satisfaction of their hunger.” People in many communities in the United States and around the world can readily identify with the hungry crowd. Continue Reading

The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him. (Jn 3:35-36)

The writer is telling the members of the Johannine Community that there are consequences for not obeying the Son who has been sent. Our choices, for better or worse, have consequences. Continue Reading

The readings from Acts and John 3:16 are all about our discipleship. The four walls of a prison and the threat of death could not contain the Apostles and their zeal for preaching the Good News. The Johannine Community is reminded that God so loved the world. God’s love for the world is so much more than a sign at a football game. God’s love for the world is transformative—it transforms us.

We must answer the altar call of divine Love. We can only become what we already are by responding to the loving call of God. But, unlike many fundamentalists, our response does not end with accepting the altar call. The Johannine Community is reminded that it must believe the Good News and then act accordingly. Continue Reading

Writing for Sojourners, biblical scholar Walter Bruggemann (“From Anxiety and Greed to Milk and Honey,” February 2009) contrasts our culture with the culture of the Kingdom. Our culture is characterized by autonomy (American individualism), anxiety and greed. As Francis of Assisi warned us, “If you have possessions, you will have to have arms to defend them.” Even if we do not personally resort to arms when it comes to our possessions, we are anxious about what we shall eat and wear and save. “Beset by anxiety” we get caught up in consumerism and acquisitiveness. Thus, autonomy, anxiety and greed permeate our culture and direct our lives. Continue Reading

Easter is about seeing—seeing in a new way. The New Testament accounts of the resurrection help us see anew if we read them carefully. If we leave aside any conceptions about a resuscitated body and dwell on Jesus’ spiritual presence to his closest followers and their witness, we will come to see anew. Spiritual presence as the Celts remind us is real presence.

The accounts are pretty straight forward. A grieving Mary of Magdala comes to the tomb. It is empty. She still does not see. She stays at the tomb when the guys—who still do not see after entering the tomb—go back into hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Judeans and Romans. Mary’s faithful persistence pays off. She experiences the Risen Jesus and runs off to tell the others. They discount her experience. Then, gradually, on a series of first days—new life, new seeing—the rest, except for Thomas, come to see. Thomas becomes a witness for us who, not having seen, still believe that Jesus is risen to new life and that we all share in that life through the power of the Spirit. Jesus breathes new life into us and we become Jesus to the world.

The clarion call of Easter is clear. Wake up! See! See anew! Come out from behind locked doors. Abandon fear and dread. Continue Reading

Good news. As we were preparing to set out for Galilee, Mary of Magdala came running to us. The tomb was empty.

Jesus is risen and lives among the people of God!!!!

Share the Good News. Live as Jesus lived. Be compassionate toward all, especially the least among you.