Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
It is amazing, that quite often in the ministry we do that we are ministered too. Amazing difference can be made through sharing ourselves and our gifts with others. In the ministries we all do, listening can be a powerful gift to those who are lonely or suffering or simply in need of encouragement. We are called to be the encounter with Christ and encounter Christ in others. Our presence can make a profound difference in a situation, and often we receive what we have shared ten-fold.
Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Today we hear the story of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. We also hear Jesus calling himself the “bread of life,” as he references the life-sustaining bread given by God to the Israelites in the desert. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles is commonly thought to be the writer of the Gospel of Luke. Acts is like “Chapter 2” of the two-part series. The writer does something remarkable with the story of Stephen. As Stephen is being stoned, the writer quotes him saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He also quotes Stephen saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Anyone who has read or heard the Passion narratives knows what the writer is doing: he is comparing what Stephen is undergoing to what Christ underwent. Furthermore, when Christ calls out to God the Father, Stephen cries out to God himself.
Monday of the Third Week of Easter
There were large crowds that followed Jesus throughout His ministry. Some followed Him to learn more about His teachings. Some were intrigued by the wonders and signs. Still others were hoping that He would bring their nation glory and success over the Roman Rule. So, why do we follow Him? Is it fear, curiosity, greed, conformity- or a deep desire to know God and His love and to bring that same love to others?
Third Sunday of Easter
On the 25th of April, the feast of St. Mark, I completed 23 years of priesthood. Neither was it a milestone nor did I spend too much time celebrating it. Through the busyness of the day, though, I often found myself consumed by thoughts of my many years as a priest. I am 51 years old and I have spent a little less than half of it as a priest. I spent 11 years in the seminary before that. So thirty-four of the fifty-one years have been in religious life. As I looked back at my life, I realized how these thirty-four years have been like today’s gospel story. The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is symbolic of my own life. Just like them my life too has been an attempt at discipleship. It has been a marvelous journey. Yet, just like the two disciples, my journey is also punctuated by doubts, fears, anxieties, sins, and failures. In spite of my failures and occasional lack of confidence in God, I have always found God by my side. Sometimes as a stranger, sometimes as a friend, sometimes as a person who challenges me, in prayer, in the scripture, in the Eucharist, and most of all when life is rough, I have found that Christ is always there.
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Whenever the Church calls us to reflect on the passage from Acts that is our first reading, I’m always grateful for its encouragement. Sure, it doesn’t say much about the promises of heaven, not does it eloquently restate the Christian mystery. However, there are three concrete areas where I sense the Lord’s peace as I read the passage.
Friday of the Second Week of Easter
It is so, so easy these days to feel a lot of anxiety about the world we live in: will we lose all our drinkable water by 2020? Will there be a nuclear attack from North Korea? Will the Catholic Church keep hemorrhaging members (currently 30% of the American population considers itself ex-Catholic)? Am I doing enough to fight poverty? Am I doing enough to maintain my health? And so on. The anxiety-producing questions are both global and local in scope, both focused on the needs of others, as well as the needs each one of us has individually.
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
In the first Reading, Peter and the Apostles are “obeying God rather than men,” teaching and talking about Jesus. They witnessed everything that Jesus did, along with the Holy Spirit. Here in the Easter Season, we are celebrating Jesus’s resurrection, but also his victory over oppression, violence, worldly power, and evil. The poor always suffer the most from the sinful nature of people in positions of power. But in Christ, we have a way to rise above that worldly power. We have in the Holy Spirit an unstoppable heavenly power, freeing us from all coercion and hardship by enabling us to rise above our suffering, to use it for our sanctification. In this holy season, what do you ask God to help you rise above? What hardships do you need the Lord to transform?
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
We live in a culture in which the truth seems to have become relativized. Whether it be climate change, clean water standards, or how we define what constitutes life the truth seems to be determined by the one who has the power. Perhaps in many ways it has always been this way. Still no matter many times the Nazi’s or other dictators have criminalized a race or a religion, it does not make their rhetoric true. Yet in our country it seems to be common thinking that if one says a lie enough it will make it the truth. It is almost as if people think the truth can be locked away and hidden away from the people.
Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Humility is not an attribute that people in our culture find appealing. And yet, I believe that humility is an essential part of being a disciple of Jesus. Some people think that being humble entails feeling worthless or being self-effacing, but I do not think that this is humility, and behaving this way is not what God desires. In order to be humble in the eyes of God, we must recognize that who we are and everything we have are gifts from Him. We do not deny our goodness or blessings, but give credit to God who showers us with His grace. When we are able to openly accept that we are nothing without Him, then He is able to use us completely to do His works as we help to build His kingdom.
Monday of the Second Week of Easter
In these weeks after Easter, the readings from the Acts of the Apostles seem suitable material for the big screen. It is hard to believe these characters are the same lowly, at times bumbling, disciples who first began following Jesus three years earlier. Knowing this is quite a comfort to most of us as we can so closely identify with the gradual process of coming to know and believe in Jesus with all the fits and starts we personally experience along the rugged road of discipleship. And looking back on where we have come from it becomes clear the, just like the disciples, our journey is one of shedding the darkness in which we live. And Jesus meets us right there—we encounter Jesus in the depths of our darkness.
Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy)
There are 3 million fewer people calling themselves Catholic today than in 2007. As a result, the share of the U.S. population that identifies as Catholic dropped from approximately 24 percent to 21 percent. Catholics are not the only ones experiencing this free-fall.Every major Christian denomination, including non-denominational Christians, is experiencing it. The only population growing is the “Nones” — those who say they have no religious affiliation. 23% of the American population identifies itself as “Nones. This percentage is frighteningly close to the 21% of the Catholic population.
Saturday in the Octave of Easter
A friend of mine and I have occasionally gotten together and recorded little 5 minute shorts about some topic regarding the faith. We called them Trailblazers and have always had a blast recording them. We’ve opened with references to Pinky and the Brain, compared God and Tolkien, likened Lent to spring practice for baseball, and bounced all over the place. During one of the latest episodes we recorded, my friend shared a quote from C.S. Lewis that immediately came to mind as I read today’s readings.
Friday in the Octave of Easter
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Jesus understands that touch is important to us as human beings, perhaps as important as food for our survival. Sadly, it is known that if an infant is fed but does not receive touch on a regular basis, he or she will not thrive. As mammals, we have been created, biologically, to feed our offspring through the mother’s body; breastfeeding requires physical contact. And the desire to share a meal with our family, with friends, seems to remain even once we are capable of feeding ourselves.
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Carrying suffering is more than we can handle at times. Whether it be growing up in an unsafe environment, a debilitating disease, or a tragic loss, the crosses we bear seem impossibly heavy. Yet what if in every trial we suffer there are blessings. It could mean that suffering we endure has made our lives more challenging, yet through it helps to try and see that everything that happens is for the glory of God. In the natural world, we realize that death is not the end, it is part of the process. Fall turns to winter, and winter into spring; death leads to resurrection.
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
As I sat down to write on today’s readings, I couldn’t help but think, What else is there to say right now? After this weekend, it seems like Easter speaks for itself for awhile. Maybe this is why the Church gives us 50 full days to celebrate: the Resurrection has so much to say to us and we need some time to process it. But today’s gospel reading has something to say to this, I think.
Monday in the Octave of Easter
“We are a resurrection people, and our song is ‘Alleluia’.”(St. Augustine) As we celebrate Easter, what does it mean that the Risen Christ is present today in our lives?
The Resurrection of the Lord
Pardon me, for my Easter homily is going to begin with Good Friday. After all, if there was no Good Friday, there would be no Easter Sunday. A parishioner was grappling with faith questions. She said, “Why did Jesus have to die? I understand that the Old Testament teaches us that the blood of animals was offered as sin offering. Could not God have saved us without the shedding of the further blood? Is our God a vengeful God who cannot be placated without an atoning sacrifice?
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
I want to reflect today mostly on the Isaiah passage (Isaiah 52:13—53:12), not because the reading of the passion (John 18:1-19:42) isn’t intensely important, but because when it comes to Good Friday and the crucifixion, I think that meditation on the cross, and the liturgy of the day, speaks for itself. What more could I possibly say? If you have a chance at all to get to a Good Friday service, go.
Holy Saturday
Easter Vigil Readings & Reflection Readings (Isaiah and Mark)
Today’s Mass readings are for the Easter Vigil tonight, but I want to give us time to focus on Holy Saturday. With that desire, I’ll be reflecting on two passages that are being used at a service at Immaculate Conception this morning, the Ephphatha and Naming Rite for those in RCIA. During the Rite, Isaiah 62:1-4 and Mark 7:31-37 will be proclaimed and so we’ll use those passages.