Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
At the turn of the last century a missionary society of priests and brothers, who labored on isolated islands in the south Pacific, sent their yearly report to their superiors. In part it read, “We have made some progress. Small steps, really. On Fridays the cannibals only eat fishermen.”
Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
“Do not let your hearts be troubled… I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (Jn 14:1,6)
Read Jesus’ words again… “Do not let your hearts be troubled… I am the way, the truth, and the life…” and again… and again… let it sink into your soul as you breathe in the comfort and the ease Jesus offers and breathe out tension, stress, fear, and anxiety. Throughout scripture, a variation of the phrase “do not be afraid” appears frequently in both the Old and New Testament. Today, in John’s Gospel it is paired with the reassurance that Jesus is preparing a place for us and that we know the way. Jesus is the way.
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
In today’s first reading from Acts, St. Paul goes through salvation history for his audience, showing how Jesus is the culmination of this saving history. The context for this passage is a Jewish synagogue. The synagogue in which St. Paul and his companions find themselves is composed of Jews and Gentiles who have either converted to Judaism or at least follow Judaism to some degree. After being invited to exhort the congregation, St. Paul shows how God has saved His people and how God’s relationship with His people has developed over time. He begins with the exodus and wandering in the wilderness, their conquest of the land of Canaan, up to the kingdom of Israel, first under Saul, and then under king David. Then St. Paul explains how Jesus came from David’s line, and that this Jesus is Israel’s savior, as John the Baptist preached.
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Lately, I’ve been sensing a call to fast. This nudge from the Lord has grown stronger and stronger. That might sound strange, when we’ve just finished Lent and are living in the celebration of the Easter season. But, as Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB says, Lent should simply be an amplified version of our ordinary lives lived throughout the year. Lent isn’t the only season for fasting. I think the Lord is inviting me to a deeper level in my relationship with him through this particular discipline. Perhaps this invitation extends to you, too.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
The Gospel reading for today from St. John’s Gospel is a powerful one. We find a man who is physically unable to immerse himself in the healing waters of the pool of Bethesda. He tells his problem to Jesus, and Jesus heals the man without even using water from the pool.
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
In our reading from Acts, Peter has an earth shaking mystical experience. “Followers of the Way” (Christians) are no longer required to adhere to the 613 laws of Torah. Easter changed all that. “Who am I to hinder God?” Peter asks. Another way to put it, “God's thoughts are not our thoughts,” “God's ways are not our ways.” Peter's giant leap cannot be overstated.
Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be in the middle of Jesus’ ministry as He was sharing His message. In some ways, it seems like it would be easy to follow Jesus and His teachings when you are able to witness all that He does and says. Today’s gospel indicates that following Jesus was not always easy even for those who had ready access to Him, and many disciples left Jesus to return to their former ways. As I reflect on today’s reading, I place myself in the scene and I imagine Jesus asking me, “Do you also want to leave?” I realize that Jesus and my faith are the foundation of who I am. “Master, to whom shall I go?”
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Do you have a dramatic conversion story? I don’t. And there have probably been times in my life when I was a little jealous of those who do. I was born into a Catholic family, was raised Catholic, and have remained Catholic. Not that I haven’t had moments of conversion and periods of doubt. But I didn’t have the kind of experience we hear about in today’s reading from Acts when Saul (later named Paul) on the road to Damascus was knocked down and blinded while hearing the voice of Jesus.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus continues to emphasize what He has been explaining to the crowd and to His disciples in the Gospel readings this entire week: He is the Bread of Life. Those who followed Moses and who ate the manna in the wilderness all eventually died. Jesus informs His listeners that if they eat of the Bread of Life, i.e. if they eat Jesus, they will not die but have eternal life. Jesus explains that the bread of which He speaks is His flesh.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
Jesus says to us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” What blessed assurance from our Resurrected Lord to us today. I pray that each of us takes this truth to heart and lets it permeate our souls. When we receive the Bread of Life, we can know with certainty that his promises are true for us. Let yourself be comforted today by these words of life from Life himself. As we experience comfort, let us not become complacent. Our readings compel me to pray for the lost so that all people might know the Bread of Life, have their hunger and thirst quenched, and receive everlasting life. No one is lost beyond God’s grace, no one is too far gone to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Today in the midst of this Easter season we celebrate the feast of two of the twelve apostles – Philip and James. These apostles experienced Jesus first-hand; they lived alongside him. For us, living so many years after Christ, we might rightly envy their proximity to Jesus. But at the same time, we might also note that being close to Jesus did not always make things as easy for the apostles as we would assume.
Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
These 50 days of Easter feature Acts of the Apostles. Luke's sequel to his Gospel, Acts has been called “the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.” Indeed the ascending Jesus left us two things: the Spirit & the Church, both at the heart of Acts. Today is the setting just prior to the stoning of Stephen.
Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
Sandwiched in between two overtly Eucharistic sections of John’s Gospel—the multiplication of the loaves and the Bread of Life discourse—is the story we have in today’s gospel reading of Jesus walking on water. I have found myself wondering on multiple occasions: why? Why would Jesus walk on water? What was He trying to communicate? Aren’t there many other things that would’ve been better uses of His time? Was this a kind of David Blane or Houdini act meant to marvel the disciples?
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Today the church celebrates one of the great mystical saints, and doctors of the church, Catherine of Siena. She is one of my favorite saints–hence our first daughter’s middle name–because of her powerful influence on our church, her radical and, dare I say, stubborn obedience to her faith, and her passionate love for God. I want to reflect a bit on what I’ve learned from and about Catherine over the years since I first encountered her most well-known writing, The Dialogue, some 12 years ago. Additionally, in light of her memorial today, there are two quotes that struck me as I prayed with the readings:
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
“We must obey God rather than men.” That’s a big statement coming to us from Acts.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
God so loved [fill in your name] that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone (that includes you!) who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Let that glorious truth permeate you and resound in your soul, heart, mind, and even your body today. St John tells us, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son . . .” It’s important to stop and let that reality sink in. “The world” includes you, it includes me! We are among the SO loved children of God. Today, on this Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter, let us look upon our Risen Savior, the glorified Son of God, and behold the gaze of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
Today’s first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. It is the account of the church’s first known martyr, St. Stephen. This also happens to be one of my favorite passages from Scripture to teach. I use it to talk about what was so radical about Christianity. Stephen is being persecuted for his Christian faith, and overseeing the whole thing is none other than St. Paul, called Saul before his conversion on the road to Damascus. Refusing to renounce Christ, Stephen says to his persecutors that although they are observant Jews, they remain “uncircumcised in heart and ears.” He is implying that they have not been open to God’s new work in Jesus Christ.
Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Ask people what their favorite Gospel is and you'll get a variety of responses, influenced by what that particular Gospel has that the other Gospels don't.
Saturday in the Octave of Easter
All of us our called to be disciples of Jesus, but in many ways I often feel like I flounder in trying to live out this call. Today’s readings give me hope, since we see that Jesus’ companions (His apostles) were ordinary people who had times of doubt and struggle. Despite their weakness, Jesus chooses them to go forth and preach the Good News. We are called to do the same.