Friday of the Third Week of Easter
I generally support rational thinking and behavior that is based on logic and reason. I take it as a compliment to be referred to as a “rational person,” especially as opposed to irrational. I appreciate the predictability of math and science and recognize all the ways these disciplines have helped us as a civilization. And yet, today's readings remind me that we are sometimes called to set aside seemingly rational thinking to listen and respond with our hearts, with hearts of faith.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
In harder times past, the story is told of an orphan named Joseph. Joseph went to be examined by the orphanage doctor. When he came back to class the nun asked him, “What did the doctor say to you, Joseph?” And Joseph answered, “He said to me, ‘What a miserable species you are.’” Then Joseph added, “But Sister, I don’t think that he knew that I had made my first communion.”
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
“We are an Easter people and ‘Alleluia’ is our song!” This quote from St John Paul II, possibly paraphrasing St Augustine, rings in my ears in this Easter season. I am struck by the witness of the early Christian community in Acts today. It can be easy for us to romanticize the early church, so close in time to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We think of the way they shared all things in common and the miracles of healing and we can slip into thinking that it was somehow easier for them than it is for us in the midst of the violence, inequity, poverty, and chaos of our own time.
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Jesus’ words “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” carry a multifaceted invitation. They are a beautiful promise of the gift of Eucharist and eternal life. They are also a reminder that we are sent to live the fruits of our call—to care for the human and spiritual needs of hunger and thirst. In this time of celebrating Earth Week (Earth Day is April 22nd), we are invited to make a connection with the farmers who grew the grains that make our Eucharistic symbols of bread and wine, as well as to renew our commitment to care for the earth’s resources so that unpolluted life-giving water might be a universal gift for all.
Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Saint Luke is the author of both his Gospel and Acts of the Apostles. In Acts, Luke makes purposeful connections between what happened to Jesus and what happens to his apostles and disciples. This is especially true in the story of Stephen the deacon and proto-martyr.
Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
A ham was baked and glazed; some asparagus roasted; a creamy sauce bubbled up among thinly sliced potatoes; colored eggs were hidden so as to be found. And, together with loved ones, a grand celebration of the resurrection was thoroughly enjoyed. Or something like that—depending on one’s Easter traditions (old or new). The point, of course, is that we go all out for Easter because it marks a moment beyond imagination—when Jesus broke into human history again and changed everything.
And then there’s the leftovers and the clean-up and the good-byes and the return to daily life, which can be a letdown. Bills are still due, maybe even overdue. Friends and family have been laid off by employers looking to cut costs. Groceries and other necessities seem to get more expensive by the day. Wars wage on.
Where, or where is Jesus in all of this?
Friday of the Second Week of Easter
Reflecting on today’s Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (5:34-42) brought me to recent events involving Pope Leo and the Trump administration. Liturgically this week we’ve been reading about how Peter and the other Apostles have repeatedly been ordered to stop teaching in Jesus’ name, yet have continued, unafraid, even after being jailed and flogged.
Recently Pope Leo was verbally attacked and warned by the Trump administration for speaking out against the war. Pope Leo responded to reporters about this, stating that he has “no fear of the Trump administration” and is not afraid of “speaking loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
In the opening credits for the series The Chosen, there is a video of a multitude of fish swimming in a circle. As they swim, certain fish suddenly turn around and begin swimming in the opposite direction and they become a bright turquoise color. These images come to mind as I read today’s scripture readings. As disciples of Christ, we are called to act in ways that may go against the current expectations of our society. This may cause us to experience ridicule and hatred, but God promises us the gift of the Spirit to provide help and protection.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
John 3:16 - It’s a verse emblazoned on posters and billboards. Sometimes, it feels like this verse gets weaponized and shouted at one another, as if to say, ”You must say believe, or you will go to hell!” I don’t think this is what John intended in this line, much less what God intends. Too often, when we hear this word, “belief,” we think it means something that happens only in the head and is professed primarily with our words.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
The community of believers described in the Acts of the Apostles is a beautiful and inspiring image of our call to unity and care for one another as Christians. The community of Acts was enthusiastically applying the teachings of Jesus to ensure that the needs of all were met. They trusted the decision making of the apostles and we are told there were no needy persons among them. It is a vision of what we are called to be as couples and families as well as our vowed religious communities and church families. And we know that it is not easy. It demands a love that trusts in the others we are committed with, and ultimately in God. It means lovingly letting go of full control, and trusting that our needs are going to be met. It invites us to recognize that everything we receive in life is a gift; gifts we have received freely, and thus are called to generously share.
Monday of the Second Week of Easter
Poor Nicodemus! He never saw it coming. Ask the young rabbi from Nazareth a question like “How can a man be born again when he is old?” and you’re going to get an earful! Not that Nicodemus minded. We can assume that he wanted to bend Jesus’ ear for some time and found an opportunity under the cloak of darkness. An understatement to say, John’s Jesus has plenty to talk about. Most of this week we will hear from chapter three of John. Each day zeros on this all-nighter session between the itinerant teacher from the Galilee and the established, well-known and well-educated Pharisee.
Saturday in the Octave of Easter
It seems that the third time is the charm. In today’s Gospel passage, we read that the apostles did not believe Jesus was alive after being told first by Mary Magdalene and then by the two disciples walking to the country (see Luke 24:13–35). What can we learn from this passage, and how can we apply it to our lives today?
Friday in the Octave of Easter
During the Easter Season, we do not read the first scripture lesson from the Old Testament as is customary the rest of the year, but we read from the Acts of the Apostles. This is partly to emphasize that Jesus’ resurrection has brought about something new. God is doing a new thing in the midst of the old and we emphasize this by reading only from the New Testament. But there is another, perhaps more significant reason to bring in readings from the Acts of the Apostles: we cannot fully realize the meaning and importance of the resurrection without understanding its aftermath.
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
On Easter Sunday night, two disillusioned disciples hightail it out of a Jerusalem fraught with danger. They’d hitched their caboose to the Jesus train (so to speak), and it derailed big time: a faith shattering body blow —- or so they thought. A stranger, the veiled Jesus appearing clueless about the horrible incidents of the last three days, walks beside them. Has he been living under a rock?, they wonder. Their fearful hearts were closed to recognize him.
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
I am struck by the image of “the Beautiful Gate” referenced in Acts today. There are so many beautiful doorways to God; so many invitations to have our eyes opened and to recognize that we are in the presence of Christ. The disciples on the way to Emmaus walk with Christ, who opens the beautiful gate of scripture, shining the light of scripture to illuminate all that they had encountered in their journey with Jesus and the disorienting events of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. When they enter the beautiful gate of scripture together, their hearts burn within them. When they press him to stay with them and offer hospitality, they enter the beautiful gate of a shared meal, and their eyes are opened.
As Catholics, we know and experience the power of the seven Sacraments. These sacraments are important gateways in our relationship with God. These Sacraments also point us to the sacramental nature of daily life, what we often call small “s” sacraments. In the first millennium or so of the Church, there were varying numbers of sacraments; Augustine numbered more than a thousand! It was not until the Council of Trent in the 1500s that we officially named the seven sacraments, though by popular understanding, we had moved in that direction.
Today, we understand the power of these seven Sacraments as unique and special gateways to Christ’s presence here and now. We also understand that these seven, point us to the sacramental nature of daily life, the many beautiful gateways to God’s love and presence here and now in material reality. Every time we gather and share our lives and scripture in our homes, on a walk with a friend, this is a beautiful gate, a sacrament of God’s love. Every time we offer hospitality, when we eat a meal sitting together fully present to one another with phones down, this is a beautiful gate.
In Acts today, I am struck by the power of looking someone in the eye. I think of the times when I drive to Mass or work and see someone begging at the exit ramp. When I take the time to look them in the eye or roll down my window and share my name and ask them their name as I hand a granola bar or apple to them. What a beautiful gate it is for each of us to see one another eye to eye, human to human. In this springtime season, when I pause in my rush to the next meeting or task and literally stop to smell the hyacinth, viburnum, or lilacs - what a beautiful gate to God’s love. That is sacramentality. And that prepares us to more fully celebrate the Sacrament of Eucharist with its particular celebration of the Word of God and Bread of Life, Christ present among us!
Today, may we notice the beautiful gates all around us and walk through them with joy!
—Kelly Adamson
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
Today’s Gospel is one of my all-time favorites, one that I often return to when dealing with difficulties, in my own life or when what’s going on in the world is heavy on my mind and heart. Mary Magdalene, a dear friend and disciple of Jesus is weeping, peering into the empty tomb. I’m sure when she’s asked “Woman, why are you weeping?” it seems a ridiculous question. Of course she’s weeping. Jesus has died, and now she doesn’t even know where his body is. Note that in order to encounter Jesus in her grief, she has to turn around – to stop peering into the dark place of the tomb. I think that’s a very important point. Sometimes we are so caught up by the dark and empty spaces in our lives, or in the world that we can’t see the one who stands behind us. We need to turn around and look into the light.
Even then, at first, she doesn’t recognize Jesus, until he speaks her name. Mary is an example here of one who hears and knows the Shepherd’s voice (Jn 10:4). Only then, when she has turned to the light and has listened to him calling her name, Mary is sent as an apostle to the Apostles. Later, in John’s first epistle, he describes the experience of being entrusted with Good News: “What we have seen and heard and touched with our hands, we proclaim now to you. (1 Jn: 1-3)” The challenge and gift today is to be open in our weakness and proneness to be overcome by the darkness in our world or perhaps the sadness in our own lives. We are called to turn around and look to the light, to listen for God’s loving voice speaking our name, and to speak good news to those around us and to the world God loves.
—Sr. Laura Leming, FMI
Monday in the Octave of Easter
The risen Christ goes ahead of his disciples to Galilee. There they will see him. Back to Galilee where it all began, their lives as disciples begins anew. Galilee is where the first disciples became followers of Jesus. And Galilee was the last place from which the messiah was expected — although it seemed as though there was one on every corner. Galilee was full of fanatics, upheaval, banditry, and rebellion. Brutal Roman domination led to a forest of crosses planted across the blood soaked land. In Galilee hope was of short supply. Back to Galilee?
Holy Saturday
In an article published just last week, The New York Times reported the following: “Roman Catholic Churches See a Surge of New Converts.” Really? I thought church membership and participation had been declining for some years in the US. And that is true. But it turns out that more recently that decline has leveled off.
Okay, so church membership/participation is not in decline at the moment in the US. But a “surge of new converts”? Seriously?
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
I have somewhat of a “love-hate” relationship with Good Friday. The fasting is challenging (at least for me it is). We’re very close to Easter but aren’t there yet. We have to face the cross first, the suffering. It’s not easy. Yet there’s also the beauty of the cross, the beauty of this mid-point of the Triduum – the liturgy and rituals that the Church, in her wisdom, provides us with in its fullness. We know there truly is no Easter without the Cross, there is no resurrection without death. Yet, I’d prefer to avoid the “death” part, the suffering, not just mine (as minor as it is), but Jesus’ suffering – which, as we read in today’s passion narrative from John, Peter tried to prevent with the sword, and then (very humanly) out of fear and weakness later denied even knowing Jesus.
Holy Thursday
Today is Holy Thursday- the celebration of the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist as a central part of our Catholic faith. Jesus takes bread and wine and blesses it to become His Body and Blood. As His disciples, we are also called to become and be the Body of Christ in the world. How can we live out that reality in our daily lives?