Friday of the 4th Week of Easter
Acts 13:26-33  +  John 14:1-6
May 17, 2019

   “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”   

Within the Gospel account of St. John, there are two conversations between Jesus and Thomas.  The more famous exchange we hear on the Second Sunday of Easter, where Thomas doubts what his fellow apostles tell him about the Resurrection.  A week later he’s confronted by the Risen Jesus Himself.  But today, on a weekday during the middle of Easter, we hear another form of doubt from Thomas. Continue reading →

Thursday of the 4th Week of Easter
Acts 13:13-25  +  John 13:16-20 
May 16, 2019

   “…whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”   

Why are there days during Eastertide when the Gospel Reading narrates events occurring before the Resurrection of Jesus?  One reason is practical.  Within the four Gospel accounts, the narratives taking place following the Resurrection are relatively few.  Also, they are somewhat repetitive from one Gospel account to another. Continue reading →

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Easter
Acts 12:24—13:5  +  John 12:44-50
May 15, 2019

   “I came into the world as light….”   

When we recite the Creed on Sundays and solemnities, we profess that God the Son is “eternally begotten of the Father.”  This statement is a profession of the divinity of Jesus Christ, which relates to Jesus’ assertion in yesterday’s Gospel passage that “The Father and I are one.” Continue reading →

St. Matthias, Apostle
Acts 1:15-17,20-26  +  John 15:9-17
May 14, 2019

   So they proposed two, Joseph… and Matthias.   

Saint Matthias is mentioned by name only once in the Scriptures, on the occasion of his election to the office of apostle.  By this we see how important this ministry is to the on-going nature of the Church. Continue reading →

Monday of the 4th Week of Easter
Acts 11:1-18  +  John 10:1-10
May 13, 2019

   “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”   

Often when we picture the Good Shepherd, we imagine him carrying a single stray sheep on His shoulders.  That’s consoling when we’re preparing for Confession, or praying at night during our examination of conscience.  But when Jesus the Good Shepherd takes us upon His shoulders, where does He carry us back to?  When Jesus returns us “home” through the gate that He Himself is, what exactly is this “home”?

In fact, the Good Shepherd carries us back into the midst of the flock.  Jesus returns the stray to its flock so that all one hundred can graze and dwell together.  Here we have an image of the Church.  Being a Christian is never just about “me and Jesus”.  As soon as we try to separate love of God from love of neighbor, we will love neither God nor neighbor as He wants, or as He does.  Within the flock of the Church is where God teaches us to mingle love of Him with love of neighbor.

Here we start to see the importance of the gate.  The gate is an entrance into the life of God’s flock, not just into divine life.  The Church as God’s flock is a chief theme of the Easter Season, and our preparation for Pentecost.  That’s why our First Reading throughout Easter is from the Acts of the Apostles:  the book of Acts is all about the life of the early Church.  That is to say, Acts teaches us how the first Christians lived a common life as God’s flock, with the Apostles as their earthly shepherds.  God’s flock on earth is His Church, whose life we experience both within our parish family and at home within the domestic church.

May 13 is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fatima.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter [C]
Acts 13:14,43-52  +  Revelation 7:9,14-17  +  John 10:27-30
May 12, 2019

   “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
click HERE for the podcast about Sunday’s Scriptures

Jesus is our Good Shepherd.  He left the paradise of Heaven to seek out and save us who are lost sheep, who have mired ourselves in our sins.  The entire Season of Easter is about celebrating Christ’s victory over sin and death.  But on this Fourth Sunday of Easter in particular, we reflect on what this means for you and me on a daily basis. Continue reading →

Saturday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Acts 9:31-42  +  John 6:60-69
May 11, 2019

   “To whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”   

What does it mean to accept the Bread of Life?  For cradle Catholics, it’s not hard to accept the Church’s beliefs about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  But to integrate that belief into our daily life is profoundly hard, no matter how long you’ve been a Catholic.  To receive Holy Communion on Sunday is a very simple action.  But to allow the Eucharist to transform you from within, so that Jesus lives within and leads your life 24/7?  That’s the life of a saint. Continue reading →

Friday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Acts 9:1-20  +  John 6:52-59
May 10, 2019

   “For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink.”   

Jesus, like any good teacher, responds to the ignorance of those to whom he’s speaking.  The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?”  Jesus replies not by saying that “eating his flesh” is just a figure of speech. Continue reading →

Thursday of the 3rd Week of Easter
Acts 8:26-40  +  John 6:44-51
May 9, 2019

   “…the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”   

Jesus first declares, “I am the Bread of Life.”  Then He describes Himself as “the bread that comes down from Heaven so that one may eat it and not die.”  Third, Jesus calls Himself “the living bread”.  In all three of these statements, Jesus explains that He is not just nourishment.  Jesus is a bread that offers a life stronger than death. Continue reading →