Article for Easter

  Today’s Gospel picks up just as Judas leaves to betray Jesus, for Satan had entered him. Jesus’ response to this betrayal is profound for he does not expose Judas but has compassion for the rest of the disciples. He tells them that this betrayal, although they do not yet know what is about to…

  So much about the post-Resurrection Christian community has been lost to history except for those snapshots of situations and responses captured in the collective memory of the early Church. How did the people closest to Jesus deal with the ongoing shock of his death and resurrection? How did they handle their practical questions about…

  It only takes a few minutes of watching the news to be confronted with some form of bad news or a modern version of someone crying “wolf.” One can wonder if good news is simply rarer these days, or is this simply the proof of the adage in journalism that says, “bad news sells.”…

  Most of us have heard the expression, “it’s the little things that count.” How often does this prove to be the case, when those extra little efforts of courtesy, kindness, and sensitivity make a big difference for someone going through difficult times? Small acts of kindness speak volumes about what is going on in…

  Have you ever wondered how the Good News of the Risen Christ might have spread around the world if modern news media were available? That might sound like useless speculation, but there might be some lessons to be learned. Today’s “breaking news” means we have instant access to whatever is happening. But it’s through…

  Sometimes reflecting on the daily liturgical readings reminds us of the weather. Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles has all the warmth and enthusiasm of a spring day that is so characteristic of this Easter season. It’s a time for new growth and flowers. How different is the weather in the…

  Gates are wonderful things. As kids, we can probably remember swinging on gates, until an adult came along and spoiled all the fun. Gates are not play things. Jesus certainly understood the essential role of gates. The gatekeeper was responsible to close the gate securely to keep various flocks of livestock safe inside the…

  If there is one demand that permeates so much of our thought and gut feelings these days, perhaps it’s this phrase: “let’s get real!” If living in a fantasy world of literature and entertainment was the popular “great escape” for people in years past, it seems that “reality shows” (even if carefully edited!) and…

  The Exultet ends by declaring Christ is “the one Morning star who never sets, who, come back from death’s domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns forever and ever.” Exultet, lines 60-62 This week ends with more snapshots from Jesus’ public ministry and the ministry of the Early Church.…

  “This is the night that even now, throughout the World, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace.” Exultet, lines 28-29 To be a Christian believer means to be set apart. Consecrated entirely for the Lord. We find this in today’s reading from Acts. Philip…

  “These then are the feasts of Passover, in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb, whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers…(by which) once you led our Forebears, Israel’s children from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.” Exultet, lines 23-24 Today we have a difficult reading…

  “It is truly right and just, with ardent love of mind and heart… to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, His only begotten, Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt to the Eternal Father and, pouring out his own dear Blood, wiped clean the record of…

  “Rejoice, let Mother Church rejoice, arrayed with the lightning of his glory,..filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.” Exultet, lines 6-7 St. Stephen gives his witness in the Sanhedrin. Since no one could defeat him in debate his rivals used lies to attack him. He held to his confidence in Christ as he…

  Forward: Easter is the most festive season of the Liturgical Year. It is a time of both joy and remembrance. It can easily be a time to lose focus as Spring begins things get busy. Just as we are meant to keep a penitential attitude throughout Lent, we are meant to keep a celebratory…

  I always say that Saturdays are reserved for Our Lady. Tradition has it, that “The glorious Virgin Mary who remained unshaken in faith all day Saturday after the death of her Divine Son.” More here. Our Lady knew what was to happen; she knew that Jesus would rise on the third day! Tradition also…

  Today we hear the miraculous story of the loaves and the fish. They had very little for the crowd, but Jesus’s disciples, being obedient to him, had the crowd recline—all 5,000 of them. Jesus gave thanks and had disciples pick up what was left over—12 wicker baskets full! Today is the feast day of…

  Today is the optional memorial of St. Louis de Montfort, a great apostle of Our Lady! He said “Take advantage of little sufferings even more than of great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer… Turn everything to profit.” In our first reading, the apostles knew how to…

  Today’s responsorial psalm verse stuck out to me the most today. “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” I am not only thinking of those who are poor in material possessions but poor in spirit. They could be the wealthiest people on the planet, but in spirit, they possess nothing. It makes me…

  In our Alleluia verse today, we hear, “The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” At his Passion, Christ was lifted on the cross to draw the whole world to himself. At Mass, when the priest elevates the host, Christ present in the…

  On this Feast of St. Mark, we hear in our first reading today, “Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your…

  Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My…

  Peter and John were filled with zeal and faith as they stood before the Sanhedrin. They boldly spoke of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. But shortly before, according to Mark’s gospel, they dismissed the claim of his resurrection by Mary Magdalen and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus had to appear…

  Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders. Peter applies this commonly quoted passage from Psalm 118 to Jesus and the meaning is fairly clear. As with masons who reject a large ill-formed stone for building the wall of the building and yet find it perfectly suited for the more essential role of keystone…

  Even though Jesus stands before his disciples as proof that he has risen from the dead, he is not content to let their faith rest strictly on what their eyes can see and their hands can touch. It is important to him, as it had been when speaking to the disciples on the road…

  The Emmaus story seems to mirror our common experience of coming to faith in Jesus Christ and his resurrection through gradual stages, rather than suddenly as it happened with Mary. In the Emmaus story, the disciples come to recognize Jesus through two means: the Word of God and the breaking of bread. We have…

  This Gospel presents St. John’s version of the Easter story. Mary wants to reverence the dead body of Jesus and discovers that it is missing from the tomb. She asks the gardener where the body has been taken. But the gardener turns out to be Jesus. Mary tries to resume her relationship with him…

  “If Christ is not risen, then our faith is in vain and we are still in our sins.” That the resurrection actually occurred is as important to us today as it was to Jesus’ followers on the day of Pentecost when Peter spoke to the people of Jerusalem and when Matthew wrote his Gospel.…

  Only Bear Witness Today, Paul is finally in Rome. A chain of events took place to get him here and bear witness to Jesus. Paul has certainly had God’s guiding hand. But amid the number of speeches, imprisonments, twists and turns, it’s easy to get lost in the story. We need a map. I…

  To Rome In Jerusalem, Paul had defended himself before the Sanhedrin, saying, “I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.” (Acts 23:6) He said this on purpose, knowing that it would cause a division and uproar. Smart move, as he meant to stay in the custody of Roman guards and…

  The Lord’s Will Be Done We arrived in Jerusalem a few days ago. Some time has passed since we left Miletus and the Ephesian presbyters. We landed at Tyre and stayed with some disciples, who “kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to embark for Jerusalem.” (Acts 21:4) We continued our journey, though, and…

  What Do We Do? Today, Paul is concluding his final farewell to the Ephesian presbyters, who met up with him here in Miletus. Like a good shepherd himself, Paul leaves them with parting words that are for their good and for the good of all God’s holy church, over which they have been appointed.…

Where Are We Going? So, I was telling you the story of how we got to Ephesus. Well, today, we are in Miletus, just thirty miles south of Ephesus. But we got here after a long journey around the Aegean Sea. And we won’t be here for long. Paul is heading for Jerusalem. “Compelled by…

Where Are We? This week, we conclude our journey through the Acts of the Apostles. Literally, throughout Easter, we have worked our way through this Spirit-driven testament of the early church. So, where are we now? Today, we are in Ephesus, a city and port on the western coast of Asia Minor. Sounds nice. But…

Where is Jesus? In these last days of the Easter season, the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord. After all his pain and suffering on the Cross, the Lord Jesus ascends to his Throne to rule over heaven and earth. So, where is Jesus? He is in heaven. But how did he get there?…

  The first reading continues our progress through the Acts of the Apostles. In these last verses of chapter 18, three new individuals are mentioned. They are the somewhat mysterious Apollos and the couple Priscilla and Aquila. Apollos is Jewish, but he was born in Alexandria, Egypt. This city was a lot like Athens, with…

  On this Friday of the sixth week of the Easter Season, we make a slight break in our routine, by celebrating the Feast of St. Matthias. He is another interesting individual in the life of the early Christians. In the very first chapter of Acts, the early Christians are gathering in the Upper Room.…

  We continue the readings from the Acts of the Apostles. St Paul left the cultured city of Athens, with its well-educated audience, and proceeded to the seaport of Corinth, notorious as a rough but busy town. As a missionary apostle, Paul is developing a pattern. When he enters a city, he first seeks out…

We continue our readings from the Acts of the Apostles. We are now in the 17th chapter. St. Paul had proceeded further into Europe. He arrives in Athens, the leading city in the country of Greece. We can picture St. Paul walking through the streets of this famous city, with its beautiful buildings, many magnificent…