Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
“Lord willing!” I remember my sister-in-law sharing that her grandmother would end every meeting with this phrase. When they were saying goodbye or “see you next week”, she would add on a matter-of-fact “Lord willing!” I remember being struck by how freeing this simple, yet profound phrase, can be. I also remember thinking – “wow, she knows she’s not in control!”
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel has a lot to unpack — the foreshadowing of the crucifixion and resurrection; the disciples caught in a moment of pettiness and pride; Jesus’ teaching on the holiness and importance of children. But it is this last lesson that resonates with me today, as my current ministry is working as a kindergarten aide and religion teacher at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School here in Dayton. With my first year of teaching coming to a close, I find myself nostalgic and hanging on to all my favorite memories and moments with my students. They have taught me more than I could ever teach them, and in echoing Jesus’ message for today, they have taught me what it really means to be holy.
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Today’s memorial, revived recently by Pope Francis, honors Mary in her ancient title as “Mother of the Church.” The praying church chose the Wedding Feast at Cana as our Gospel of the day for this very old feast. From the Fourth Gospel we hear, once again, the words of the Crucified Christ who addresses his mother as “woman.”
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Following Jesus is the main theme of today’s Gospel reading. What does it mean to follow Jesus? We see two examples in yesterday and today’s Gospel through Peter and the beloved disciple. In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus predicted that Peter would be crucified, and today, Jesus called the beloved disciple to remain with him. While disputed among theologians and believers, early tradition suggests that the beloved disciple is John the Apostle and the writer of the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation. If we are to go with this correlation, then John the beloved disciple was banished to the island of Patmos and didn’t die of martyrdom like Peter. Peter and John’s lives were distinct from each other, yet they followed Jesus as outlined in Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23 which is to deny themselves and pick up their cross. The Gospel challenges us today to carry our cross and follow our own unique path God calls us to walk on.
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Almost like an annoying child or insecure lover we hear Jesus ask Peter repeatedly in today’s gospel reading (John 21:15-19), “Do you love me?”. Although Jesus isn’t an annoying child or an insecure lover, I wonder what Peter thought at the time. We read that after answering Jesus affirmatively the first two times, Peter was “distressed” when Jesus asked the question yet a third time. “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” And that’s it exactly.
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
There are many times throughout the gospel that Jesus prays for unity. In today’s gospel, He asks the Father to help us be “brought to perfection as one.” As I look around at our country, our world and even our church, it seems like this “oneness” is a nearly impossible goal. And yet, Jesus lives in this perfect unity with the Father and Spirit and calls us to do the same. How can we begin to build this unity that Jesus calls us to attain?
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Imagine yourself as the Apostle Paul in the scene our first reading describes. You’ve spent three years with a community, enculturating yourself, making friends, pouring yourself out in ministry; it’s become like a tight-knit family. Now it’s time to leave. You’ll never see these dear ones ever again. What do you say to them? What is the final message you want to impart?
Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle
In the first reading for today, Peter and a crowd of Jesus’ followers gather to elect a new apostle to lead and tend to the world’s first Christians. This is one of the few times that Judas is mentioned after Jesus’ crucifixion and death. I imagine this could have been a tense moment for the apostles. They finally have to address the fact that one of their members betrayed them, and as a consequence, there is now an imbalance to their core group.
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
In tradition, the month of May has been dedicated to Mary. Why?
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
In today’s Gospel, Jesus told his disciples, “Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete,” (John 16:24). But what are the disciples supposed to ask for? Throughout this chapter in the Gospel of John, Jesus is saying goodbye to his followers. He talked to them about their faith and belief in him and the love between him and the Father and the Father’s love for them (John 16:22). I noticed that of the theological virtues (faith, love/charity, and hope) mentioned, hope is missing. Perhaps that is what the disciples are to ask for so that their joy may be complete.
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.’” (Jn 16:21) Whoa, slow down there Jesus…no longer remembers the pain? That’s a pretty stark shift. When was the last time you gave birth to a child? I am certainly no expert to have such a strong opinion but having witnessed the birth of all five of our children, I would be so bold as to testify to the fact that the pain doesn’t go away immediately. However, I can attest to the joy that follows the pain and anguish. As I shared in a reflection last month, we welcomed our newest child, Dorothy, at the beginning of April. Over the last several weeks, she has continued to be a resounding source of joy and peace. Through countless stories, examples, and interactions, we can confirm the way that her life causes our hearts to rejoice and “no one can take that joy away from us”.
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Doing the morning drop off for my now almost 3-year-old has been part of my routine almost every school day. My son really struggled when he moved from an in-home sitter to a more formal day care setting. There were lots of tears, his and mine sometimes, when he transitioned. We’d sing “grown ups come back” from Daniel Tiger and I’d reassure him that it will only be for “a little while.”
In today’s Gospel (for those of us where we will be celebrating the Ascension on Sunday) Jesus tells his disciples that he’ll be gone for “a little while” and will return. The disciples are confused. Jesus goes on to say, “you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” A few verses after today’s Gospel Jesus continues, “… I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Recently, I’ve been pondering how marvelous it is that Jesus, our Messiah, Lord, and Savior, has given us everything we need to follow Him as disciples. We have a high calling from God; the path of discipleship is not easy—it is fraught with challenges and obstacles, and our fears, insecurities, and sin get in our way. And yet . . . and yet despite the daunting aspects of this journey, Christ has truly given us everything we need to be perfected in love and to follow Him every step of the way. We do not undertake this journey alone; we are not left to our own feeble efforts.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
During a freezing, snowy Christmas week in 1973 me and a friend of mine made our way to a “premiere” of the film The Exorcist in Shaker Heights, a forty minute drive north from Youngstown. The book and now the movie both had taken the country by storm. It seemed at the time to be on the level with the Beatlemania & Batmania of the recent 1960s. It was all anyone was talking about. At some theaters the line stretched for ¼ of a mile. People got sick and some fainted with medical stations set up right next to the popcorn machine in theater lobbies.
In 1973 the notion of an “exorcism” was virtually unknown or at best seen as some weird relic of the Dark Ages. Science had no room for such nonsense, we thought. In the book by William Peter Blatty, based on a true story, the victim was a Lutheran boy, age 14. His minister told the family after countless tests and evaluations, “Go to the Catholics. They know more about these things.” In truth, the vast majority of Catholics didn’t know much about it at all. And the image most have of it, or of evil itself, is really distorted.
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Going down to “the river” is where it all happens in both of our scripture readings today.
Patrick Marin wrote the following about rivers:
Rivers, as actual and as metaphor, are places of confluence and movement. People think differently and more deeply down by the river because permanence is passing by. The invitation to “go with the flow” to where it empties, or against it to the source, is always implicit. Our souls feel the fluidity of life near a river. A body of water is like a mother who rebirths and reminds us where we came from and where we are going.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
As I reflect on today’s Gospel, I see a lesson in discipleship. To be Jesus Christ’s disciple means to follow him. Therefore, it’s interesting that he said to his disciples that because he didn’t belong to this world, they didn’t either. What does it mean to belong or not belong to this world?
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
“You look just like your mother!” “He’s a spitting image of his father!” A compliment or a cringe-causing comment? I primarily take after my father both in appearance and personality, although I’m really a blend of both of my parents. And yet, I’m also uniquely my own person, as is true for each of us. Although I am their offspring, I am not my father or mother, and they are not me. So, I think it’s challenging to grasp what today’s gospel passage from John (14:6-14) has Jesus telling his disciples. Apparently, it was difficult for them to grasp as well.
Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says that He wants to share His joy with us. What exactly is the joy that Jesus wants to give us and how will we find this joy in the midst of our daily lives?
Over the recent past, the Mass readings have been focused on the Gospel of John. Over and over, Jesus reminds us that we are called to love just as He loves. Today’s reading, Jesus tells us that the love that He shares with the Father is the same love He has for us. When we keep the commandments of the Father, we keep Jesus’ commandments and we remain in His love. This is how Jesus says that His joy will be in us and it will be complete.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
This past Saturday, as part of Jesus Day (a morning retreat for students preparing for First Communion), I helped lead a discussion with the students on what the deeper meaning of Jesus’ metaphor used in today’s Gospel, “I am the vine, and you are the branches” may be. Their insights were so profound and moving, I think I’ll let their words write the reflection for today.
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
In today's Gospel reading from John, Jesus addresses His disciples with the words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (14:27). Jesus’ next comment, however, seems a little confusing at first glance: “Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (14:27). What does Jesus mean by this? For starters, Jesus’ peace might not always feel like what we think of as peace at all. Remember, Jesus was crucified, and He had to die on the cross before He could experience the Easter resurrection. In today’s first reading from Acts, we catch a glimpse of what following Jesus sometimes entails: “They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city” (Acts 14:19). In this instance St. Paul survived stoning, but he eventually dies by beheading in Rome.