Thursday of the 2nd Week of Easter
Acts 5:27-33  +  John 3:31-36
May 2, 2019

   “We must obey God rather than men!”   

Baptism is not a private experience.  It is not simply about “me and Jesus”.  Baptism washes away not only one’s own personal sins, but also the sin of Adam and Eve.  All members of the human race have shared that original sin, with the exceptions of Mary and Jesus. Continue reading →

St. Joseph the Worker
Genesis 1:26—2:3  +  Matthew 13:54-58

“Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.”

On this feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, the readings from Sacred Scripture help us reflect upon the covenant between the Lord and His People.

It’s fitting that today’s feast falls during the Easter Season, when the First Reading day after day reveals the life and mission of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles.

This Church is the fruit of the tree of Calvary.  Whereas Adam in the Garden cast man down into the pit of sin by his Original Sin, Christ has raised man up on Calvary.  Yet Christ has done even more than restored fallen man to his original state.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Son—by incorporating us into His own Mystical Body—has made each of us a child of God the Father.

In this context of the Church, whose mission began on the day of Pentecost, and upon which mission we are reflecting throughout Eastertide, we honor today the patron of the universal Church:  St. Joseph.  Specifically, we honor him according to the title “St. Joseph the Worker”.  We don’t speak of him as a “Wonder-worker”, as some saints are described.  Joseph didn’t work wonders.  He simply worked, and his simple work reminds us who are God’s adopted children of a basic lesson of the spiritual life.

In this basic lesson, St. Joseph reminds us of the Little Flower.  St. Joseph does little things with great love.  But more importantly, St. Joseph does little things for a great love, and in that, shares in the life of that great love.

Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
Acts 5:17-26  +  John 3:16-21
May 1, 2019

   But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.   

Today’s Gospel passage tells us neither of Jesus preaching nor of Jesus acting.  Instead, in this passage St. John the Evangelist offers spiritual commentary on the Christian life.  More specifically, the evangelist describes what it means for the Christian’s works to be rooted in Christ, so deeply in fact that it is Christ who acts through the Christian.  To do so, he uses the simple metaphor of light, but in two ways. Continue reading →

Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Easter
Acts 4:32-37  +  John 3:7-15
April 30, 2019

   The community of believers was of one heart and mind….   

One of the greatest tensions in the spiritual life is between individual concerns and communal needs. Given our modern secular culture, we tend to the former. Continue reading →

Monday of the 2nd Week of Easter
Acts 4:23-31  +  John 3:1-8
April 29, 2019

“Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’”

Today’s Gospel passage shows Jesus teaching Nicodemus a lesson about the Holy Spirit.  The First Reading shows the members of the early Church living this lesson. Continue reading →

Divine Mercy Sunday [C]
Acts 5:12-16  +  Revelation 1:9-11,12-13,17-19  +  John 20:19-31
April 28, 2019

   “I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.”   

On this Sunday’s solemnity of Divine Mercy, the Church calls us to rejoice that the Sacrament of Confession, and the peace flowing from it, are the “first fruits” of Jesus’ Resurrection.  In the Old Testament, the People of God—Israel—gave to Him the first fruits of their harvests, as precious and life-giving as they were.  But in the New Testament, God turns this around.  It’s God who gives to His People—the Church—the first fruits of the Resurrection from the dead of His most precious Son. Continue reading →

Saturday within the Octave of Easter
Acts 4:13-21  +  Mark 16:9-15
April 27, 2019

   I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me.   

Throughout the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life, humility marked her relationship with her Lord. Humility is not a virtue that one can ever spiritually outgrow. Whatever graces God gives us, they are given for the unfolding of His plan, which often remains to us a mystery. Even as we apply these graces in our lives, we must do so with humility, as day by day, another aspect of the mystery of our vocation is shown to us. Continue reading →

Friday within the Octave of Easter
Acts 4:1-12  +  John 21:1-14
April 26, 2019

   He revealed Himself in this way.   

What does St. John the Evangelist mean when he reports to us that the disciples “dared” not ask Jesus “Who are you?” After all, the Beloved Disciple had told Peter that this was the Lord. Today’s Gospel passage suggests some unresolved ambiguity. While the miracle of catching 153 fish convinced the disciples who He was, they still needed to ask His identity. His miracle convinced them, but His appearance did not. Continue reading →

Thursday within the Octave of Easter
Acts 3:11-26  +  Luke 24:35-48
April 25, 2019

   Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.   

It is only in “the breaking of the bread” that the disciples come to know Jesus, and it is only in this that they become more than disciples. Only in the Eucharist do we share in the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and become members of Christ’s Body. This is the goal of our lives as Christians: not merely to learn about Jesus, but to enter into His life and saving mission. Continue reading →