John: 13 begins what is called “The Book of Glory.” From this moment on, the entire second half of the Gospel of John is all about glory. We hear this in the litany, “Now as the Son of Man is glorified, God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself and God will glorify Him at once.” Do you get it? It is all about glory. It is a hard passage to take if taken in quickly. However, if we take it in very slowly, we begin to see the impact of glory.
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I have to admit, when I was praying with this all week, I did not really know what Jesus was talking about. What glory meant. I was actually talking with my brother priests. Those friends that I often spend my day off with. We were talking about this and asking each other what we were going to preach about. I said, “I want to preach about glory, but I don’t actually know what it means.” As we were talking about it, I pulled out my phone and looked it up in the dictionary and began to ponder what glory means.
In the dictionary, glory is defined as ‘praise’, ‘honor’, and ‘to give something renown’. It means ‘beauty’. It means ‘splendor’; ‘magnificence’; a ‘state of gratification or exaltation’. I still was not really getting what glory meant until I read this definition: To light something up brilliantly. I thought about that and what glory means.
What is interesting is the Gospel of John talks about glorifying. Jesus, at this moment, said, “From now on, I will be glorified.” In the earlier Gospels, we heard Jesus say over and over again, when He performs miracles, “Do not tell anybody about this. I do not want anyone to know about this. My time has not yet come.” However, from here on out, He wants everyone to see the glory of the Father in Him. Jesus begins to ‘light up’.
What is interesting in the Gospel of John, is that we do not hear about the Transfiguration like we do in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Because in the Gospel of John, we have this whole Book of Glory. From now until the time that He suffers, dies, is crucified, and rises from the dead, it is all about His glory. It is all about seeing the Father’s light in Him.
I thought about that. What it means to ‘light something up’. You know the phrase about someone who has the kind of personality that when they walk into a room, they ‘light it up’ Â by their mere presence. Do you have anybody in your life like that? Do you know someone who can truly light up a room when they walk into it? I think about that. Jesus was like that. He had that presence about Him -that glory, that He just lit up the room.
From the moment of our conception, from the time that you are conceived in your mother’s womb, you are given a divine spark. You are given this light. In Baptism, actually, you are literally given a candle. You are given the light of Christ. When the priest hands the candle to the parents and godparents and says, “Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. S/He is to walk always as a child of the light and may they keep the faith, the flame alive in their heart. When the Lord comes, may s/he go out to meet Him with all the Saints in your Heavenly Kingdom.” In our Baptisms, we were given the light of Christ. In our Baptisms, God is glorified in us. In our Baptism, from that very moment, we have all of God’s ability to light up a room.
It has been said that by being a priest, we have a front-row seat in the theater of God’s grace. What I mean by that is, we get to see so many amazing experiences. I just thought about this, the last five days, not even a week, of what I have experienced as a priest. I got to experience my godfather. I celebrated his Funeral Mass. Normally you would think that would be a horrible thing. And it is. It was a tragedy. He died young. But my godfather was one of those people that lit up a room. My godfather was like the great comic act. Whenever he walked into a room, he would have everybody laughing and smiling. Even at his Funeral Mass, there were tears, but there was also laughter. I could not help but think of glory, of his face that would light up a room.
The same candle that is given to us in Baptism is actually symbolized in this Pascal Candle we light during the Easter season. The Pascal Candle is always at the head of the casket. The light that is given to us in Baptism guides us all the way into eternal life. I had a front-row seat at my godfather’s funeral. I was able to celebrate his funeral and experience the glory of God even in death.
Four days later, I celebrated a wedding of a young couple, Joe and Emily. Joe and Emily are a vibrant, young couple that I got to know over the years. When Joe walks into a room, he lights it up. The first time I met him, I was water skiing with him. He and I were in tandem on the back of a boat. I thought I was a good skier. Well, Joe is an amazing skier, but he was crazy! He was wild and reckless. Joe and I were crisscrossing lines and high-fiving each other on the water skis. He is just somebody that lights up a room. I saw the Father’s glory on their wedding day as the two of them took each other until death they do part. They were just beaming with light, with the Father’s glory.
The very next day I celebrated Vinny’s Confirmation. Vinny is a young boy from my last parish who asked me to be his sponsor. When he went up and was anointed by the Bishop, I saw the Father’s glory. Vinny was just beaming, he has this look about him that would light up an entire church just by his smile.
Finally, I celebrated my niece Jaina’s Baptism. I was able to Baptize her in that same light of Christ and see the Father’s glory.
Recently, I interviewed an elderly priest, Monsignor Bob. He lives in Erie and he is now in a nursing home. I interviewed him about his entire life of prayer. And before my eyes, I saw the Father’s glory in this priest. I have always seen him as someone that could light up a room. I see it in the newly ordained priests too.
As a priest, I get to see it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation every week. There is no greater moment for me than when I lay hands on a person and say the words of absolution, absolving then from their sins. As I remove my hands from their head, I see their face beaming with a smile, knowing that they have been forgiven.
I have seen it in people that I anoint as they are about to go through surgery or who are suffering from illness. I just had a couple come and see me for depression. As I anointed them, their hands, and their forehead, there was finally some light in their eyes. It is like they already were being healed and forgiven from their sins.
The reality is that through the Sacraments, we experience this glory, and as the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, we see the light. I hear Eucharistic ministers say this all the time, what an amazing thing it is to see people come up and receive Communion. The glory of the Father’s only Son will be in you as you receive the Body of Christ.
I think about our Holy Fathers. John Paul II was the first one that I knew, and I got to see him for the first time in 1993, in Denver for World Youth Day. He not only lit up a room, he lit up a crowd of a million people. When he came through a crowd, the crowd was on fire.
This was the same with Pope Benedict. I saw him after I was newly ordained in Rome. I was able to see Pope Benedict up close. He lit up the entire Vatican square.
I saw Pope Francis in Philadelphia; he lit up the city!
I think it is so amazing that we have this gift, not only from conception, but especially in Baptism, we are given the Light of Christ. I want you to think again for a moment about the people in your life. Who do you know that truly lights up a room when they walk into it? Who are the people you know that glorify God in their lives? Who are the people that you know that have truly found their call and are fully living the life God has called them to? This is what it means to glorify God, to light up a room, to light something up.
The reality is that each and every one of us, each and every one of you, at your Baptism, have been given this light. You have been given this great gift of life in Christ. You are a light to the world. You can actually light up, not only a room or a crowd, but an entire world by truly believing in the gift that you have been given. And it is renewed every time you receive the Eucharist. I invite you to think about that. That candle that was given to you in Baptism is to be kept burning brightly.
How is your light? Is your light burning brightly or has it begun to dim? If it has begun to dim, allow yourself to be renewed through the Sacrament of Confession, or by receiving the Eucharist, by making a renewal, or by doing Pray40Days. Do something to keep that light burning brightly so that you truly can be the light of God before the world.
Just as Jesus wanted to glorify the Father and to light up the world before Him, each and every one of us has been given that light. May you keep your light burning brightly so you may glorify God by what you say and by what you do!
