Father Kevin A. Codd

In the most poignant moment in John's Passion, Jesus "hands over his spirit." What might John mean by this strange final note to Jesus' passion? Perhaps we need to go back to the Creation story in Genesis to plumb its meaning.

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador. 

As we begin the Holy Triduum, the thread that runs through the solemnities of these days is captured in the Greek word: "Kenosis". Jesus teaches his disciples the meaning of "kenosis" in three lessons: the washing of feet, the breaking of the bread, and the acceptance of the cross. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. 

"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani? My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? We cannot afford to warm or lighten the cold blackness of these final words of Jesus in the moments before he dies. To do so risks cheapening the mystery of the Incarnation and the glory of the Resurrection. This is Jesus in the fullness of his humanity feeling God's absence and crying out for its loss. In our own desolations of the spirit when God seems absent from us, Jesus is our companion and our guide through the darkness to the light of the Third Day. 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community, Cuenca, EC.

Covenants are part and parcel of the story of Israel's relationship with God through the centuries: "I will be your God and you will be my people." The prophet Jeremian (Jeremiah 31:31-34) sees a new kind of covenant between Israel and the Lord, one written not in stone, but in the human heart. We have come to believe that Jesus is the embodiment of that new covenant, written in flesh and blood. 

This homily was delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador. 

The symbol of a serpent wound around a staff found in the Book of Numbers remains today as a symbol of healing...many doctors and medical offices still use it on their stationary. It was well known to Jesus as well since in today's Gospel passage from John, he references it, and even more, makes himself the healing sign for God's people. The key words, "lifted up" refer to what is yet to come: his own "being lifted up" on the cross AND his being "lifted up" from death itself. All this because "God so loved the world that he sent his son..."

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Jesus clearly is very angry in today's gospel reading from John. As he goes after the sellers  some wonder if such anger is wrong or right. Which itself indicates that anger comes in two flavors: sinful and righteous. Which is Jesus'?

I was down with covid on this particular Sunday so this is a read version of the written text I had shared with our Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca. 

The story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac, because God asked him for a proof of his dedication to him is a nightmarish story for kids. Could it be that kids understand that Abraham might have misunderstood what God was asking of him? God in heaven, after all, is a long way from us on earth. If so, then perhaps this story helps us hear the story of Jesus' transfiguration in a new way...

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community, Cuenca, Ecuador.

A rare coincidence: both Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday coincide this year. The images of both are polar opposites: candy hearts vs. gray ash. Everlasting love vs. the certainty of death. Yet those ashes are not just smudges; they are the sign of the cross that allows us to see beyond death, beyond the ashes we will one day all be. And that cross is the sign of a love greater than all loves that is the foundation of everlasting life. 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC.

What at first seems like a very nice story of a very nice Jesus becomes something far more challenging once various translations of just one word are taken into consideration. Does Jesus feel "pity", "compassion", or "anger" once approached by the leper in Mark's gospel? Perhaps both compassion and anger spring from the same passionate confrontation with evil in this story. 

Homily delivered to the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, EC. 

Mark gives us a sort of documentary of one day in the life of Jesus in four episodes, each one particular to a place and ministry in his daily life. He moves from (1)Synagogue to (2)Home to (3)Public Street to (4)Deserted Place. 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community of Cuenca, Ecuador.