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The Exultetchanted by Dan MasonEaster VigilSt. Matthias ParishBala Cynwyd PA(Happy Birthday, Moe!)

It seems strange to say that each one of us is born to die – but it is true. We are born to live … we are born to die … and we are born to love!Our mission therefore is to do all of this well. We learn to live, die and love from the people around us – our parents, family, friends, and culture.But we also learn to hate from the influences around us.The learning curve therefore is steep, and the climb from valley to mountain is not so easy. The prophets are said to stand high on the mountain where the crowd can see their actions and hear their words.Martin Luther King was that kind of prophet – not perfect – but very true to the biblical world in which he was raised. But those around him were raised in a biblical world too – compromised by both hate and fear!Jesus fulfilled his mission. He breathed his last on a Calvary hill where the counter-cultural cross of peace stood boldly; where he ‘gave over’ his spirit.His last words were simply, “It is accomplished.”Listen to the sound of his cosmic breath as the chant of Jesus’n last words proclaim the Spirit’s release.His breath is your breath; his life becomes your life. “It Is Accomplished!” It Is Accomplished

Cosmic winds reinforce the words of Jesus: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”Here we have a glimpse into the secret life of God. There is a sacred intimacy in this mantra of Jesus, and it is at the heart of what we call ‘creation.’God is Spirit; God is love. And ‘all that is’ resonates, vibrates, and dances in the rhythms of this spirit.A Body of Christ lives on Spirit, and wants to breathe and hold in breathless exultation its own sacred moment of flesh and blood. This is Trinitarian life, and you and I, plants and flowers, animals and birds, oceans, mountains, galaxies beyond galaxies, all of us - belong to this Body of Christ. The question will always be this: do we know who we are? See yourself as a child of God, created in the pattern of the Divine with Christ as your template. Such intimacy with God is the fruit of your baptism, and the love of God is the love of your life.You will know this when you have learned to say, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”Abwoon (‘Abwoon’ is an Aramaic word indicating a loving parent.)

The words of Jesus at the Passover meal are realized on the cross.“This is my body broken for you.This is my blood poured out for you.This is my life given up for you.”When an act of sacrificial love takes place, justice and communion result. Jesus is the lamb who is slaughtered as God acts to set people free. We call this the Paschal Mystery; it’s symbolic roots are found in Egypt when Moses broke the bonds of Egyptian slavery. There is reconciliation in this freedom. The divorce between God’s life and human life is annulled. Communion is possible once again. You might ask, ‘how is this done?’ The answer is given simply … and it is profound. By divine love, by messianic obedience, and by a sacred ritual of forgiveness … the Cross!In the words of Jesus: “There is no greater love than this: to give your life for another.”This is the way.This is the benchmark. This is the answer.Kyrie

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” A cry that deserves an answer! The question is sincere. The answer will come … but not before the pain of death prepares the way.But first, how do you explain the cruel mocking of Jesus on the cross? How do you justify cruelty and torture in our own times?Have you ever heard the phrase, “hate is fear?” It infers that behind every act of hate there lurks a deep and abiding fear. Bullies ridicule; gangs mock: political persuasions slander and sabotage! Odd isn’t it, when nations steeped in religious tradition, torture their enemies. They offer excuses - just as Pilate and Annas did - in the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus. Can’t we make the connection between the Gospel story and our own moral values? Or is it inevitable that ‘fear trumps faith’?Pilate’s soldiers are good at mocking. But so are we in ways that are subtle, self-redeeming and sometimes vicious.Jesus’ cry of anguish is from Psalm 22! He does not play the pity card, or beg, or pout. But his question deserves an answer nevertheless.My God

Remember the wedding feast at Cana. Mary had said to the waiters: “Do whatever he tells you.” John’s Gospel makes clear the intimacy and trust of mother and son!Now Mary stands at the foot of the cross. She is with Mary Magdalene, Mary Cleopas and John the disciple. They stand in the midst of tragedy and terror, and their courage appears to have been extraordinary.There is a mystical link between the first sign at Cana and this culminating sign at Calvary. There, Jesus had transformed water into wine; here he transforms injustice , hatred and cruelty into an act of sacrificial love.The soldier will soon pierce the side of Jesus allowing blood and water to pour forth. In an eternal act of obedience, Jesus will transform injustice, pain and death into a sacrament of love! The wedding feast at Cana has reached its ultimate end, a consummated marriage between God and humankind. At Cana Jesus had said to his mother, “My hour has not yet come.” But at Calvary the hour has come, the “hour for the Son of Man to be glorified.” This is Mary’s hour too. She is the courageous woman and the true disciple. She is faithful to her son and to her own vow: “Be it done unto me according to your will.”Jesus says to her, “behold your son.” And to John, and John’s church, “Behold your mother.”Woman

Forgiveness and love are inseparable virtues. If you are incapable of forgiving another, or asking for forgiveness, you cannot, or just do not love. Think of someone whom you have not forgiven – or who has not forgiven you. Perhaps you need help to deal with a stubborn ego, yours or another’s. Maybe you just need to grab the bull by the horns and call somebody.If you have not reached that point of resolution, pray for courage! Pray for wisdom. Act with humility!But truth will never let you walk away from the responsibility of embracing forgiveness. And only truth can set you free!Look to the Gospel story to find strength and support. Understand what is at the heart of the passion and death of Jesus.Here is the cast: Peter. Pilate. Soldiers. Thieves. Spectators. An absent emperor! The culture. And of course, the Prince of Darkness!On the cross the position of Jesus is clear: he reconciles and he forgives. For he understands, 
“they know not what they do.”Forgive Them

The wife of Pilate dreams about the innocence of Jesus and tells her husband her concerns.Passion presents the dream inversely and puts it in the confused mind of Pilate. Listen to the haunting questions that Pilate needed to ask. Are you a king? Where are you from? What have you done? And what is truth? What really is truth!So what about you and me! What do you do in the face of a challenging responsibility? Are you willing to lose your job to do the right thing? Have you made a compromise recently that really bothers you? Perhaps you have held back on a truth lest you hurt someone’s feelings - a colleague or family member?Pilate’s history was one of ruthless service to the emperor. Killing innocent civilians was not a difficult call for him. His conscience seems to have been formed by the demands of his job - much less so by a conscience informed by faith. Of course, we don’t know this man. But the question is, do we know ourselves! Do you ask the questions that truly matter? In the life of the Spirit, dreams will come … night and day! Pay attention … and listen to them.Are You A King

Have you been betrayed by someone you trusted? Or have you betrayed another but have no foreseeable way to find forgiveness? These are occasions for deep pain in life.Remember the scripture where Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”In today’s episode Peter denies Jesus three times. Even the cock crows, as though the universe itself needed to protest.Biblical faith resonates in the constant theme of intimate love. Call it covenant, or marriage, friendship or discipleship, every word of Jesus is meant to draw us more deeply into a holy union.We are called to be soul mates in the Body of Christ.But betrayal is constant in life. We live with it, we are pained by it, humiliated by it – and we carry it like a cross whose splinters are embedded in the tender tissues of our heart.Bold and tempestuous Peter, scared and confused, wounding his beloved friend - and scarring deeply his own vulnerable self. Peter the rock – a handful of sand! I Do Not Know The Man

Listen to the words of Jesus in the garden: “Let this cup pass me by; yet not my ways but yours.” No one wants pain in life – and certainly not in the life of a loved one. How often do you hear someone say of a dying relative, ‘we lost her, but at least she didn’t suffer!’Suffering is at the heart of the story of Jesus. From weeping at the death of Lazarus, to the tears shed over the city of Jerusalem, Jesus felt personal loss deeply.The Latin word ‘patior’ means to suffer, and from its root come the words passion and compassion. They are words clearly identified with the God of Jesus.The cup that Jesus had to drink was filled with the tears of humanity, according to tradition. The God of oceans, rivers, lakes and ponds is also one who sheds tears.Jesus reveals a God who is not aloof, not impersonal, not out of touch. When gods are described as ‘all powerful’ and ‘almighty’ they appear incapable of shedding tears. Jesus’ God is not like that. Jesus God is vulnerable!The mystery is this! In Christ God suffers! In faith we suffer in Christ! And if we suffer in Christ, our sufferings are God’s sufferings.Father, Let This Cup

The Last Supper of Jesus can be understood as a wedding banquet between God and God’s people, between Creator and creation. Vows are taken before gathered friends; lasting love is pronounced even beyond ‘death do us part.’ The communion that is promised will be for all time. Greater love than this cannot be: “to give your life for another.”This is not a ‘last supper’ at all. It is the beginning of the end of a certain way of knowing, and a way of believing. Listen to these words under the song:Farewell, my friends, my hour is near. The Father calls me to his side.I go but I shall come again. I go but I shall come again.We have as vine and branches grown, drawn up into the light above.Abide in me as I in you. Abide in me as I in you.Unless the seed falls in the ground, and gives its life to all around,how could it ever rise again! How could it ever rise again?I break this bread for you to eat. I pour this wine for you to drink.I give my life as food for you. It is my love I give to you.I call you friends for so you are. No greater love could ever be:to give your life for those you love. Would you not do the same for me?The hour has come for me to go. The Father bids me do his will.The Paraclete will come to you. The Prince of Darkness waits for me.Farewell

Parables are stories that expose us to paradoxes in life. The parable that Jesus told in the presence of his detractors went a step farther.Clearly the attack of Jesus on the temple systems, and the directness of his parable, infuriated the temple leaders. They knew that both the actions – and story - were aimed at them. They were fast losing their grip on the people. Conscience easily succumbs to political expediency, and that works to justify the killing of someone who undermines order. After all, Jesus was disturbing the peace - and that was sure to bring unwanted attention to the ears of a concerned Rome.The parable you are about to hear ends with a question: “What do you think will happen to the farmers when the owner of the vineyard returns?” Retaliation? Punishment? Or forgiveness? Reconciliation?Ponder that question, please. In it’s puzzling and challenging ambiguity, the whole Gospel is at stake!

Money is a mighty tool in the hands of those who use it wisely. Money is power, and power can be used both to heal and to hurt. We see this in our political and economic institutions. Why should we not expect to see it in our religious institutions? And so, the temple in Jerusalem became the scene where Jesus revealed his passion-for-justice. But what was the injustice? Quite simply, so much of the temple system was not faithful to the word of God. Powerful leaders controlled the temple. They conspired with the Romans to maintain their privileged status. They used the system for their own advantages. But the prophets had championed the people, i.e., those who were poor, widows, orphans, those who were sick, and the lost. This was God’s law, and the rich meaning of temple worship was being stolen from the people.In Jesus’ words, the temple had become a “den of thieves.”Does this sound familiar to you? It happens all the time!My House Shall Be

Jerusalem in the late afternoon is a city of golden haze and shimmering beauty. The desert sands of the stark Middle Eastern milieu are a barren stage for the hunger and thirst of spiritual life.Jerusalem is a city at the heart of twenty-first century life: a center for commerce, an arena of religious contention, a magnet for global ambitions. Terror sits at her gate like an orphan, a child of poverty and madness. But Jerusalem is also at the heart of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And because we live on a planet of instant communication and ever-shrinking space, all nations are readily drawn into her orbit of influence. She is the city of David, the city of kings, and the groom ‘s bride. Yet as the psalmist says, “when prophets come to her, she kills them!”Listen to the song, “Jerusalem.” Read your morning paper. Ponder your earliest impressions of biblical teaching. Question the depth of your own religious practice. Time is a thin membrane between centuries, and what goes on today is a timeless vibration of what always is.

Jesus’ words are clear. The reign of God is at hand, right here, right now.But this is never obvious! Terror makes for headlines. Earthquakes destroy lives. Political parties triumph over truth. Marriages crumble like stale bread and spoil like leftover wine. Life is tough!The Roman peace was filled with contradiction too. Oppression reigned as foreign troops “nailed down” Jerusalem. Herod was a despot - and zealot-charged violence provoked retaliation. It was hard to see the reign of God as present or peaceful. In some other world perhaps; but not here!The promise of Jesus defied expectations, and confused. “We must go to Jerusalem. I will be mocked, scourged, and crucified. I will be put to death, and on the third day I will rise again.” The people are hungry for truth and freedom. But this is a strange kind of food!The mission of Jesus was clear, to him at least: “If you wish to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” It’s not a campaign promise that would get you into office – and power!What is at stake here is the very word of God. Can you trust it? Do you even hear it? Can you believe in it?

As John fades, Jesus ascends. He is a rising sun, which brings light to the world. He is a “Beloved Son,” and he knows the secret of life is God’s loving presence – no matter where, no matter what!In the song that follows, Jesus takes up the scroll and reads the words of Isaiah. The sound of flowing water runs under the text suggesting the deep presence of Spirit. Pay attention to those words; Jesus comes with purpose; his mission is clear.Water runs through your life too – a deep flow of spirit and truth. Prayer is the divining rod connecting you to the flow. Your baptism was the promise that the water is there. Do you sense this? If so, give thanks. If not, then find what is blocking the flow of spirit in your life, and remove it.Come To Me

The desert is a place where needs and desires can meet. There are no cell phones! No vendors! No propaganda!We come into this world naked – and we depart this world naked. This must surely define an essential identity.But today we find ourselves flooded by an excess of “things.” So much going on, so much stress, so many pressures – how easy to forget who we are! As the poet Leonard Cohen sings, “the blizzard of the world has overturned the order of the soul.”During Lent we simplify our lifestyles and trim down excesses in our patterns of behavior. With less noise we canhear the voice of God more clearly: “You are a child of the universe, a son, a daughter of the Creator. You are loved. You belong!”The palm branches from last year’s Passion Sunday have been put to the fire; their ashes remind us of our addiction to things, and our need to change. Desire and need! Lent is desert time when desire and need find their rightful place in the order of the soul. The real fire, the one that transforms, is God’s love – it burns as embers in a heart of faith.

They came forth from darkness seeking the light that would dispel darkness. Perhaps it was the prophet, John. Or perhaps it was Jesus, called in scripture, the “light of the world.”In a sense each of us comes out of darkness into light, from religious infancy to a more mature faith, from the dim light of a catechism, and the confusions of religious pluralism, to a place of hope in our imposing secular world. Destructive literalism abounds today and blocks the way to deeper insight into faith – and to the treasures lost and buried in the human heart.The ashes of Ash Wednesday represent our willingness to die to our fears and to take the journey, and go deeper.Done rightly, everything changes; everything is transformed: all is holy. OvertureThey Came Forth