The Christian Life can be summed up in two words: “Imitate Jesus.” Of course, we are to imitate Jesus as we live out our day-to-day lives. But we can also imitate him in death, as did St Stephen.

In today’s first reading from Mass, we hear, as St Stephen is being executed:

‘As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.’

Let us see that in his death, St. Stephen imitated Jesus, in what he spoke. Two of the seven “Words” that Jesus spoke from the Cross are: (1) “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46); and (2) “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Whether or not we will actually quote Jesus at the moment of our death remains to be determined. However, we can search through Scripture and see how Jesus acted and reacted in various circumstances, and through the grace of the Holy Spirit incorporate what we see Jesus do into our lives.

Imitate Jesus.

Classical literature is filled with biblical allusions.

Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, begins with the famous words “Call me Ishmael.” The obvious reference to the biblical character Ishmael, whose younger brother Isaac was favored.

Another example of a biblical allusion in classical literature is found in Hamlet. On Thursday, April 8, at Mass, the Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 8. Consider the similarities found in Psalm 8 and in Hamlet’s speech in this article in Wikipedia.

Given the obvious similarities, scholars have argued that Shakespeare may have directly used Psalm 8 as a basis for writing this speech. And even if he had not done so directly, his wide knowledge of classical literature and the Bible would have certainly influenced him.

As we go about our reading, and our lives in general, let us be aware of how much our Bible does influence our culture and lives.

Yes, Easter was a number of days ago. And, yet, Easter — the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior — is too big an event to be encompassed in a single day. All week long, during Mass, we recite or sing the Gloria, even on weekdays, because we are still celebrating Easter.

Easter week concludes with the Octave this coming Sunday, April 11. But, even then, Easter does not end. We celebrate Easter for an entire week of weeks, or seven weeks, which takes us to late May.

On Sunday, May 23, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Only then, on Monday, May 24, do we return to Ordinary Time.

So let our Easter celebration truly last for the entire 50 days!

As we hear in today’s first reading at Mass, God had a plan for how he was going to straighten things out among his chosen people who were not united. We find this to be a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament.

From shortly after creation, when Adam and Eve went astray and introduced original sin into the world, from time to time, God chose somebody through whom he would try to straighten out the problems that were occurring within the human family. In today’s first reading, he chooses the position of king, and in particular the person of King David to unite the twelve tribes. But the solution would be short-lived, as the very next king, David’s son Solomon, would introduce another problem when he married pagans, resulting in the pagan worship of these foreign wives becoming absorbed into the life of the king. Such is the recurring theme of salvation history.

God chose well-meaning, holy, talented mortals to carry out his will. But they could carry it out only to a certain extent because they were limited mortals.

Finally God choose his Son to accomplish what no mere mortal could or would be able to accomplish, namely to reverse the effects of that first sin of Adam and Eve that had caused disharmony and discord to be part of everyday life.

Over the coming week, let us enter into and celebrate and walk with Jesus that journey that finally brought about what we as mere human mortals could not accomplish ourselves.

Why do some ambulances have a symbol of a snake on them?

In the first reading in today’s Mass, we hear the following experience of Moses and the People of Israel as they wander through the desert and are bitten by deadly snakes and scorpions referred to as serpents and saraphs:

“The people of Israel begged Moses to ‘pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.’ Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”

In reference to this physical healing that involved gazing upon a serpent wrapped around a pole, some ambulances are adorned with this symbol to represent the healing role that they provide for the community.

One of the beautiful aspects of our liturgical calendar is its parallel couplings. Yesterday and today, we remember Saint Monica and Saint Augustine, mother and son. Less than a month from now, we honor another Mother and Son — the Mother and Son — Our Lady of Sorrows and Jesus in the Triumph of the Cross. In addition we have the dates December 8 and September 8, the conception and birth of Our Lady, as well as March 25 and December 25, the conception and birth of Jesus.

In particular with the coupling of Saints Monica and Augustine over the past couple of days, we have an emphasis on the important role of parenting, in particular parents through their silent lifestyle and prayer being examples for their children. Although Augustine did not embrace the faith in his youth, over the years he did have the example of his pious mother, and eventually, undoubtedly influenced by her, he did give himself over to the Lord.

In our own parish life, it is not until the child is five or six years old that he or she begins formal education in the faith through religious education or parochial school. Those most formative years — 1, 2, 3, 4 years old — are completely under the influence of the family. It is up to parents and uncles and aunts and grandparents and older siblings and cousins to influence the young ones with their pious life, as did Monica influence her son Augustine.

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus speak about the power of a little bit of yeast to leaven a large amount of flour: “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”

In Jesus’ time and place, people made their own bread and, for that matter, had their own sheep. So when he spoke about such down-to-earth matters as bread-making and sheep-raising in his parables, he was speaking to the people about their everyday life. Most — if not all — of us do not make our own bread, nor do we raise sheep in the backyard. Therefore, we need to use a bit of imagination for the message to have its full effect.

So although we simply go to the local grocery store and buy a loaf of bread, let us remember that it is the little bit of yeast that enables a great deal of flour to rise. Similarly within the Kingdom of Heaven, a little bit of yeast will go a long way. Therefore, let us be that little bit of yeast that goes out into the world to transform it for the better.

Let us end with the opening prayer for the Mass for the Laity, which conveys this idea directly. “God our Father, you send the power of the Gospel into the world as a life-giving leaven. Fill with the Spirit of Chirst those whom you call to live in the midst of the world and its concerns; help them by their work on earth to build up your eternal kingdom.”

Whenever a new political entity, social organization, or some other institution begins, it usually puts forth a mission statement, charter, or constitution. God gave such a constitution to the People of Israel in the time of Moses, in the form of the Law: 600+ laws, rules, and regulations, the first ten of which are the familiar Ten Commandments. The purpose of the Law was for the People of Israel to embrace and internalize the Law and allow it to transform them with God’s grace into Holy People.

By the time of Jesus, many who followed the Law did so in a manner that was not as God had intended. Throughout the Gospels, we repeatedly see Jesus point out how some people were holding the Law at a distance and observing it to the letter, without allowing it to enter into their hearts, without allowing it to transform them.

Therefore, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. In certain places in Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew (see quotations below), we hear Jesus explain how mere outward observance of the Law is not sufficient to transform one into a holy person.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.”

Here we hear Jesus declare that it is not enough to simply outwardly avoid harming our brother or sister. He wants us to be healed inwardly of that anger that leads us to wish harm on our brother or sister.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Here we hear Jesus point out that it is enough to simply outwardly avoid sexual sins, but we must also strive to curb the lust that leads us to view another as an object.

And, of course, there are other ways and times that lead us to view others as objects. Take for instance, one who is a con man. Not only is he outwardly guilty of stealing from others, but also inwardly, he sees others as objects to be deceived and taken advantage of.

Let us remember that elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus sums up the entire Law as a call to (1) love God and (2) love neighbor.

Anger, lust, viewing another as a mere object to deceive or take advantage of are all obstacles to our entering into a proper relationship with our brother or sister, namely a relationship of charity and Christian love.

As we continue to walk through the Sermon on the Mount during the liturgy for weekday Masses, let us be aware of Jesus’ call that we be transformed through and through — something that we cannot bring about on our own, but only the grace of the Holy Spirit can bring about.

So let us be open to the grace of the Holy Spirit to heal us of anything that can prevent us from carrying out that second great commandment: to love our neighbor.

Most – if not all – of us have certainly heard the story of how George Washington admitted that he did indeed chop down the cherry tree. Now, Washington’s biographer, Mason Weems, in his book entitled “THE LIFE OF WASHINGTON,” said that this MYTH was created as a way to show Washington’s honesty. Regardless of whether the story is factual or not, it does convey an important message, namely that of honesty.

As does this story represent the honesty of a pivotal figure in the forming of our nation, so too do we have a story involving one of the pivotal figures in the writings and administration of our early Church. Let me quote the story you may have already heard.

‘One day while walking along the seashore, Augustine came upon a child dipping water from the sea and pouring it into a hole in the sand. Curious, the bishop inquired, “What are you doing?” The child replied, “I’m going to pour the ocean into this hole I dug.” Augustine smiled: “You’re wasting your time. That’s impossible!” To which the child said, “I will accomplish this before your finite mind can comprehend the infinite Godhead,” and then vanished.’

Augustine lived some 1,600 years ago, so we have no way of verifying whether the story actually took place. However, as with the story of George Washington and the cherry tree, it does convey an important truth. The infinite Godhead or Trinity cannot possibly be comprehended by our finite minds.

And yet, although we cannot comprehend the Trinity, we still invoke and pray to the Trinity.

How do we begin most of our prayers? “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In the very act of my beginning a prayer, we invoke the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And how does the Mass begin? After the opening hymn, we make the Sign of the Cross, saying “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Trinity. Then the priest says: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.” Again a mention of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then comes the Penitential Rite, followed by the Gloria. And what do we hear in the Gloria? “Almighty God and Father… Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father… You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father…” Again the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I will be the first one to admit that the story of Augustine at the seashore, whether factually based or not, conveys the truth about the incomprehensibility of the Trinity. And yet, that does not stop us from invoking and praying to the Trinity.

This is a fundamental reality of our faith that, if we do not grasp it, we can truncate our own spiritual development.

We can love our God wholeheartedly, even though we cannot understand him with all of our mind. We can invoke the Trinity, even though we cannot comprehend the Trinity. We can pray and priests and deacons can carry out sacraments with the power of the Trinitarian formula – “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – even though we cannot comprehend the power of the Trinity.

The very essence of our faith, the very reason we need to rely on faith, is that our limited understanding cannot grasp the unlimited God, which can lead to a great danger.

In our culture with so much emphasis placed on rational thought and learning, and with the reward and prestige showered over the smart among us, we may only venture as far as we can comprehend.

But that cannot be. We need to make the leap of faith to go beyond where our mere brains and rational thought can take us.

In so many areas of life, it is dangerous and foolhardy to lead with the heart, but with respect to the Trinity it is the only way. Our progress in the spiritual life will be stalled shortly after it begins if we only allow ourselves to journey as far as we can see and comprehend.

Let us lead with our hearts and leap into the communion of love that makes up the relationship of the Trinity: Father and Son and Holy Spirit all loving one another.

That being said, although the Trinity is beyond our comprehension, there are some things that we can know about it.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1. “The Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith… known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

2. “In the Father and with the Father, the Son is one and the same God.”

3. “With them, the Sprit is one and the same God.”

4. “We are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light.”

5. The Catechism goes on to tell us how the Trinity is one God, while made up of three distinct persons.

But how can they be one and three at the same time? Sorry, but if Saint Augustine – one of the doctors of the Church, and sometimes dubbed the father of the Western Church – could not comprehend and explain it, then how much less can … little old me.

That being said — this much I can say: While being one God, the Trinity also remains three divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is most central to our faith. It is who God is. While here on earth we are called to share in the Trinity while in the obscurity of faith. These basic facts are found in the Catechism.

But I hope that we can go beyond merely memorizing and reciting basic facts and embrace the opportunity we have to make a leap of faith directly into the very heart of the Trinity, so as to lead with love and go beyond what our minds can comprehend and find ourselves drawn into that community which is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit loving one another.

The first reading at daily Masses has lately been marching through the Acts of the Apostles.

At today’s Mass, we hear St. Paul make the connection between the events of the Old Testament and Jesus.

In our day and age, when Hollywood puts out numerous films that have sequels and prequels, we can see that this idea is nothing new.

Two thousand years ago, St. Paul argued for his audience to see a continuation from the “sojourn in the land of Egypt” of the People of Israel to their journey into the promised “land of Canaan,” to the coming of the judges, Samuel the prophet, Saul and eventually King David.

The chronology of salvation history continues to John the Baptist and finally to Jesus Christ himself.

With this in mind we can appreciate the many references to Jesus’ future coming in the Old Testament, as well as the many references from the Old Testament that appear in the New Testament.

For example, the people of Israel are sustained on Manna — bread from heaven — while in the desert. This suggests Jesus’ future action of providing us with the true Bread from Heaven, namely the Eucharist.

With respect to the New Testament looking back to the Old Testament, Net.Bible.Org claims that there about three hundred references to the Old Testament found in the New Testament.

With this in mind, how much richer will our experience of the New Testament be when we see it coming out of the Old.