3 April 2018 - John 20:11-18 - Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

    Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb, shocked and surprised to find it empty.  As the risen appears to her, she goes to other to tell them what she discovered.  Thus, begins the process of Mary Magdalene and the other disciples to try to understand what all of this meant.  

     Sometime we cannot understand the complexities of our lives, the complexities of human history.   I think of how the Crusades are a difficult event to understand in our Church history.  The Crusades and the Muslim invasion of Spain are central events to the pilgrimage I have been on in that country.  It is easy in my modern 21st century American mentality to judge that era or to ignore it.  I struggle to gain greater insight and understanding as to what went on without trying to judge these events from my modern point of view. I bring this up because Richard of Chichester is the saint we celebrate today.  I learned about him when I was assigned to St Richard parish in the city of Jackson, Mississippi.  I grew to love St Richard and appreciate his teachings. Richard was Bishop in Chichester, England in the 13th century.  He had a very difficult time as Bishop.  Most of the time, King Henry III denied him access to his cathedral and the revenue due to the Diocese due to a dispute that was going on between the King and the Church.  Richard had to roam his Diocese, relying on the generosity of the faithful. Pope Innocent IV called on Richard to preach in favor of the Crusades throughout England, which Richard obediently did.  However, in the midst of those journeys, he came down with fever and died at the age of 56.  He was buried in Chichester Cathedral, which became a popular place of pilgrimage. However, that site was destroyed under King Henry VIII in 1538 when England broke away from the Catholic faith.  Richard’s remains and any artifacts that remained in Chichester were destroyed as well. It is interesting that the composers of the rock musical Godspell chose St Richard’s prayer as the basis of one of their songs: 

Thanks be to thee, our Lord Jesus Christ,

for all the benefits which thou hast given us,

for all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for us.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,

may we know thee more clearly,

love thee more dearly,

and follow thee more nearly. Amen

St Richard, pray for us.