14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Zec 9:9-10
Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Rm 8:9, 11-13
Mt 11:25-30

Do you feel weighed down or lifted up by taking on the yoke — the servanthood, the ministry, the loving outreach — of Jesus?

We have so many personal struggles, so many crosses to carry, so many people needing our attention, that of course we feel weighed down and exhausted. Yet in this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy! The burdens that he asks us to carry are not heavy!

How can that be?

When the burdens of life wear us down and tire us out, it's usually because we've taken on more responsibility than God has given to us. Or else it's because we're expending energy trying to get rid of a cross after Jesus has yoked us to it. If the burden leads to burn-out, God lets us get tired, because he's warning us: Slow down! Simplify your life! Make a change! Spend more time in prayer! If it leads to anger and resentment, God's showing us that our selfish desire for an easier life is making our lives actually more difficult.

We have to take care of our own needs before we can be useful to Jesus while yoked to his ministry. The yoke of Christ is burdensome only if we continue to give out more to others than we allow Jesus to give to us. He will give us what we need so that in our partnership with him (the yoke), together we can give to others what they need. Then our anger and resentment disappear and we experience holy pleasure in our tasks, because we're yoked to the goodness and the energy and the strength of Jesus himself.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are you doing that seems like a good idea but is wearing you out? Was it God's idea for you? At this time? This much of it? What can you do to slow down, simplify, make a change, and feel the strength of Jesus?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Become accountable for the answer to the above personal questions by sharing it with friends in your faith community: What changes ARE you going to make to allow Jesus to refresh and renew you? How do you think this will make a difference?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Everyone has a favorite Bible passage. Today's Gospel is mine. The consoling words of Jesus are familiar: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened…."

I find it hard to say why I like this text so much. Perhaps it's because I've felt burdened at times in my life, or have known others who labor greatly under sorrow and suffering. I've heard these words addressed to myself, and in turn I've shared them with others in homilies at Mass, particularly at funerals.

But in addition to the Lord's encouragement that we come to him with our burdens, he invites us to "take up his yoke" and "learn from him." His meekness and humility show us a way to bear our burdens.

I've often marveled at the paradox in Christ's words: His yoke, his burden was the cross, and yet he calls it "easy and light." How does the heavy burden of the cross and suffering and death become "easy and light"?

Somehow, that transformation must happen in the act of surrender, in the "giving over" of our own daily labors, burdens and crosses to the Lord. Admitting to ourselves that we cannot carry them on our own, allowing Jesus to shoulder them with us; letting go of control—in that simple, childlike surrender, we discover the rest Jesus promises.

Scripture:

•See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he… (Zechariah 9:9)

•The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. (Psalm 145:8)

•If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies… (Romans 8:12)

•Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:30)

Reflection:

•What is the promise of Jesus to those who follow his ways unreservedly?

•Does your experience of God correspond with Psalm 145?

•How do you experience the spirit of God that dwells in you?

The most visible joy can only reveal itself to us when we’ve transformed it within. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

God in His nature is most simple and cannot admit of any duplicity. If we then should be conformed to Him, we should try to become by virtue what He is by nature. We should be simple in our affections, intentions, actions, and words; we should do what we find to do without artifice or guile, being on the outside what we are on the inside. (St. Vincent de Paul)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (A)

Acts 12:1-11
Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18
Mt 16:13-19

This Sunday's Gospel reading describes the holy quality of "shepherding" that's required of those who are in Christian leadership. This includes not only our priests, but also lay ministers, parents, teachers, and so forth.

After Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah, he was called and commissioned to shepherd others into the same realization. Today, every follower of Christ who is in any kind of leadership role still has this responsibility. We are to show those in our care what Jesus is really like. Being in charge of meetings, or directing clubs or choirs or religious education classes, or having positions of authority in parish or diocesan ministries — these are merely vehicles of the mission.

Paul suffered in his shepherd's ministry (as we see in the first reading), like Jesus did and like we do if we're involved enough to really make a difference for the kingdom of God. The good news is that the gates of the netherworld do not prevail against our efforts to help people escape from the destruction of sin. In Christ's Holy Spirit, we have the power and guidance to succeed. Christ goes ahead of us and his Spirit prepares the hearts of those whom we are called to reach.

A Christian leader who does not go into Satan's territory to rescue lost souls and who does nothing to protect his flock from wandering into danger is no follower of Christ, because this was Christ's entire mission.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

List the people who are under your care. Do they always see Jesus in you? Do they learn about Jesus from the way you treat them? What can you do to improve your shepherding this week?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when someone shepherded you and brought you closer to Jesus. When you shepherd others, do they always know it's really Jesus who's leading them? When they fail to recognize Jesus in you despite your best efforts to be like him, how do you handle this?

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Visitors to Rome can see St. Peter's Basilica, the center of the Christian world, and the church of St. Paul Outside the Walls. These two great churches, honoring the saints we celebrate today, are immense structures—it is an overwhelming experience to visit them. The vast open spaces, towering pillars and sculptures, distant ceiling—all take visitors outside of themselves.

That's intentional.These churches are meant to lift us beyond ourselves to God—much like the Scriptures we read in today's liturgy. Although the readings relate episodes from the lives of Peter and Paul, the message isn't focused on the persons of these two apostles, but leads us back to God.

Peter's prison story—our first reading—stresses how God’s power freed him to return to the Church community. Paul's testimony in the second reading points likewise to how God stood by him during his ministry and rescued him from harm. The Gospel account relates Peter's confession of Christ as Messiah and Son of God.

We've no way of knowing how these two apostles would react to the great Roman basilicas dedicated to their memory.But my suspicion is that they would want to shift our focus from themselves to the God who gave them the strength to deliver their message. May we also discover the strength to let our lives reflect God's power.

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Ex 19:2-6a
Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5
Rm 5:6-11
Mt 9:36--10:8

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, notice how strongly Jesus was moved by the needs of the people. His heart ached for them, because he knew they felt troubled and abandoned. What's surprising, however, is how he responded. Although he likened them to sheep without a shepherd, and elsewhere he describes himself as the Good Shepherd, instead of taking action as that shepherd, he immediately turned to his disciples and called them to do the work!

Today, there are many who suffer troubles and feel abandoned because not enough is being done to help them. So, when we see a parish lacking a pastor, or a ministry lacking a shepherd, or a need lacking a ministry, we do as Jesus tells us to do: We beg the master of the harvest to send forth more laborers. And Jesus taps us on the shoulder and says, "YOU do it."

We ask God to increase the number of priest vocations, because there are too few men entering the seminary. And Jesus says, "Don't just pray, get up and do some of the work! You have a vocation, too!"

The reason why many people feel that God hasn't answered their prayers (and has therefore abandoned them) is because Jesus responds to their needs through us — and too few of us are giving him a free hand to use. We don't have enough lay people assisting the priests we do have. We don't have enough Christians standing up against injustices and other evils, and so of course, to many who suffer, God seems distant and uncaring.

Jesus was one man serving a whole nation, and he accomplished much in only three years because of the apostles who assisted him. The harvest needs collaborators. There are a few things that only a priest-shepherd can do; everything else can be done by his assistants, under his guidance, so that all needs are met. This is how the Church is made whole and holy and effective in evangelization.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What has Jesus asked you to do as an extension of himself? Which of his gifts are you using to help in the work of his kingdom? Which gifts has he given you that you're not using? Why not?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

What would our Church be like if everyone became an extension of Jesus using the gifts and talents that God has given them? How would this change the face of your parish?

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Today's Scripture readings make today a kind of "vocation Sunday." The Gospel certainly fits such a theme. There, Jesus calls his 12 disciples, after he has witnessed the crowds, people who are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. He gives the Twelve a call to proclaim the Kingdom.

What did these 12 men hear or see in Jesus that made them follow him? If we knew the answer, we'd have a better clue to our own response, perhaps—and be better able to respond to Christ today.

I see clues for motivation in today's first reading. Like other recent selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, it comes from the story of Israel in the desert. Moses has gathered the people at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God wants to offer them a covenant. God is looking for their response. The motivation God offers is: See how I freed you from the Egyptians? Remember what I did at the Red Sea, and how I got you this far, sustaining you on this desert journey?

In other words, take a good look at what God has done. Can we do the same as we're invited to a "vocational response" in today's liturgy? What has God done for you lately? As you attend Mass this weekend, take time to ponder that question—and then make your response to God's call.

Scripture:

•You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. (Exodus 19:4)

•The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

•Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

•At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

•“Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:7,8)

Reflection:

•As Jesus instructs the disciples to be evangelizers in Matthew, are we to take the same message to heart?

•Are the unchurched the “troubled and abandoned” of the 21st century? How can this group be reached? Is the soul reached through the body or the body reached through the soul?

•How can anyone claim to spread the work of God without helping the poor in material and the poor in spirit?

•“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” In this instance, may Jesus’ command to be taken both literally and figuratively? Explain this command to evangelization?

This is crucial: we must be converted—and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.

The fruits of evangelization are changed lives and a changed world—holiness and justice, spirituality and peace. The validity of our having accepted the Gospel does not only come from what we feel or what we know; it comes also from the way we serve others, especially the poorest, the most marginal, the most hurting, the most defenseless, and the least loved. An evangelization that stays inside ourselves is not an evangelization into the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Hos 6:3-6
Ps 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15
Rm 4:18-25
Mt 9:9-13

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, consider how we are called to be like Jesus and reach out to those whom others have rejected. Who are the marginalized and neglected in your parish? Who are uninvolved because no one invited them? Which people at work ask for your prayers and show an interest in God but don't go to church because they feel outcast? Which ones never get invited into social groupings at parish events because they are too different or too sinful or too this or too that?

These are the Matthews around us. Matthew followed Jesus after he was invited. Would he have joined the group of disciples who encircled Jesus if no one had reached out to him? Probably not, because as a Jew who collected taxes for the enemy, he was despised as lower than the lowest scum.

Often, the people we know who are not showing up at Mass or other parish functions are absent because they feel like they don't belong and no one has invited them. Even if it takes more than a few tries to convince them that they will be welcomed, we should never judge anyone as unworthy of our repeated attempts.

Evangelization is most effective when we walk with others, forming compassionate relationships with them. This doesn't mean that we have to make these people our close and frequent companions, but remember that Matthew ended up as one of the inner twelve who helped lead the growth of the early Church. Your invitations could have unimaginable impacts on a scale that you cannot foresee!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Did you ever feel like a Matthew? Who's invited you to experience more of Christ's love? Who are the Matthews in your life? What are you doing about them?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has God taught you to reach out to those whom others reject? What difference did you make when you went out of your way to befriend someone or to talk about Jesus to someone who didn't fit the mold of normal church life?

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If you're lucky enough to be near a garden, and to walk there early in the morning, you'll understand today's first reading. The prophet Hosea talks about the dawn of the day, and the sun lighting the morning sky. If there's been a spring rain, the garden will be lush and green. The early morning clouds and the dew dampening the garden in the first part of the day quickly vanish.

These down-to-earth images describe both our God's life-giving presence, and our own human response. Where God brings certainty, truth and life, we so often respond with shallow piety, a religious fervor that's just talk, and superficial gestures, rather than a real sacrificial response of love.

Jesus is just as down-to-earth in the Gospel. In a scene that must have stunned those who witnessed it, he confronts Matthew the tax collector. Here was a man rejected by the so-called religious crowd, outcast because his profession was marked by collaboration with the Romans and easy temptation to greed and selfishness.

Jesus offers Matthew a call to loving service. In his call to Matthew, Jesus brings forgiveness and echoes the prophet Hosea's message from God: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

We hear these words at Sunday Mass—a ritual action which can become superficial for us, if we do not make a loving response to what we've heard.

Scripture:

•…for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. (Hosea 6:6)
•…it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:24,25)
•The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words,‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

Reflection:

•Who does Jesus spend time with? Why?
•Who do you spend time with? Why?
•What does God desire?
•Does God or humankind impose conditions on salvation?

This Christ-centered love takes us out of ourselves and brings our newly found sense of independence into relationships that are not based on dependence, as many relationships tend to be, but that are based on Christ as their center. It enables one to work for others with great liberty of spirit because one is no longer seeking one’s own ego centered goals but responding to reality as it is. Divine love is not an attitude to put on like a cloak. It is rather the right way to respond to reality. It is the right relationship to being, including our own being. And that relationship is primarily one of receiving. No one has any degree of divine love except what one has received. An important part of the response to divine love, once it has been received, is to pass it on to our neighbor in a way that is appropriate in the present moment.¹

Nothing is obtained from God except by Love.

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32
Ps 31:2-3, 34, 17, 25
1 Rm 3:21-25, 28
Mt 7:21-27

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus explains how to be a true disciple: DO the will of the Father. ACT upon what you've learned from Jesus. He's constantly speaking to us through the scriptures and the teachings of the Church. We cannot afford to be merely hearers of the Word; our salvation depends on being doers of the Word. If we claim to have faith in Jesus but we do not do what he has taught us to do, then we are merely saying "Lord, Lord" — we are not following our Lord to heaven.

As Jesus points out, if we take action, first by integrating the truths of God's kingdom into our daily lives and then by making a difference in the world, we will be able to withstand any storm, any persecution, and any trial, even when our actions stir up the storm. Why? Because we are living in Christ's death and resurrection, we are living in his power, and we are living in his strength, which overcame the world.

But if we fail to let the teachings of Jesus transform us, when our lives are flooded by troubles, they'll destroy us — they'll destroy our peace, our joy, our awareness that God is loving us, and probably much more. When we try to survive these storms the way our worldly training says we should, things only get worse or — at best — the calming influence of Christ's peace gets delayed.

And if we fail to take the teachings of Jesus into the world around us, the blowing winds of immorality and dysfunction and abuses will destroy others, and we will be contributing to their demise by our inaction. That's not the path to heaven! It's the mortal sin of apathy. This might sound harsh, but in order to be resurrected into heaven after we die, we have to first go to the cross with Jesus. We have to care enough about others to stand up against the evils that we witness.

Storms will rage because of what we do for Christ and with Christ, but we will not collapse. In fact, we will only grow stronger.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What storm are you living through right now? What is changing within you as a result of this storm? Is it leading you to greater holiness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a past storm in your life and explain how it changed you. How has this enhanced your life? How has it enhanced your ministry to others?

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

This is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969 in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) and precede the Birthday of John the Baptist (June 24).

Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama (see Luke 1:39-45) are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages.

It is helpful to recall that we do not have a journalist’s account of this meeting. Rather, Luke, speaking for the Church, gives a prayerful poet’s rendition of the scene. Elizabeth’s praise of Mary as “the mother of my Lord” can be viewed as the earliest Church’s devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth’s (the Church’s) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary. Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God’s words.

Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here Mary herself (like the Church) traces all her greatness to God.

Comment:

One of the invocations in Mary’s litany is “Ark of the Covenant.” Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God’s presence into the lives of other people. As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy. As the Ark helped to unite the 12 tribes of Israel by being placed in David’s capital, so Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her Son. At times, devotion to Mary may have occasioned some divisiveness, but we can hope that authentic devotion will lead all to Christ and therefore to one another.

Quote:

“Moved by charity, therefore, Mary goes to the house of her kinswoman.... While every word of Elizabeth’s is filled with meaning, her final words would seem to have a fundamental importance: ‘And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her from the Lord’ (Luke 1:45). These words can be linked with the title ‘full of grace’ of the angel’s greeting. Both of these texts reveal an essential Mariological content, namely the truth about Mary, who has become really present in the mystery of Christ precisely because she ‘has believed.’ The fullness of grace announced by the angel means the gift of God himself. Mary’s faith, proclaimed by Elizabeth at the visitation, indicates how the Virgin of Nazareth responded to this gift” (Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer, 12).

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (A)

Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
1 Cor 10:16-17
Jn 6:51-58

This Sunday we celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist and why we believe it is truly and physically the presence of Jesus.

We're reminded in the first reading that God our Father always provides the food and drink that we need for survival in the desert days of life's hardships. What he did for the Israelites, he does for us today in whatever ways we experience hot trials and dry faith. He provides what we need by giving us the True Presence of Christ, who comes to us not only in the Eucharist but also in his Holy Spirit, who lives within us because of our baptisms, to guide us and nourish our spiritual growth.

The Gospel passage tells us that the Eucharistic food and drink are truly Jesus himself, not a mere symbol of his love. Oh-my oh-my, how we need THIS food and drink to survive the serpents and scorpions and the parched and waterless ground of our desert experiences! Jesus literally fills us and quenches our thirsts. As we consume him, he consumes us. As we draw him into us, he draws us into himself. In this unity, we walk through our trials with all that we need for success.

The second reading tells us that the Eucharist increases our unity with Christ and with Christ's body on earth, the church community, through which he provides the various resources that we need. In this unity — when it's activated as it should be — no one lacks anything good because all necessary goods are shared. And ultimately in this unity, as Jesus said in the Gospel, we're assured of eternal life in heaven, where all needs are met perfectly and completely.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are the "serpents and scorpions" in your life right now? In what ways do you feel parched, thirsty to the point of desperation? During Mass, imagine that you're walking through a desert to receive from Jesus what you need. How does it feel to approach Jesus this way?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has the Eucharist helped you through a difficult time? Why did it make a difference? I kiss the Host before placing it in my mouth; what do you do that helps make the presence of Christ in the Eucharist more real for your needs?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

As a friar, I've had the privilege to go on pilgrimage. Traveling to a holy place with other pilgrims is an experience of getting to know God, self and others.

An important part of pilgrimage, believe it or not, is the food. You may smile, wondering what pilgrimage meals have to do with spirituality. Well, I enjoyed some of my best spiritual experiences around the table with my fellow pilgrims. The meals on pilgrimage in Assisi, Italy, were, of course, wonderful! But my memory of those meals always includes the wonderful people with whom I shared the food. It nourished both body and spirit.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, and our first reading takes us into the desert, as God's people are completing their pilgrimage to the Promised Land. Moses recalls for them how they depended for forty years on the food God provided. They survived as free people, liberated from slavery, thanks to the manna in the desert, and the other food from God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the crowds that he himself will be true food and drink for them—a food that will surpass the manna in the desert. Jesus, the living bread, will give them eternal life. It is the ultimate pilgrimage meal, and we share it each Sunday at Eucharist.

Scripture:

•…who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its seraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, (Deuteronomy 8:15,16)

•…with the best of wheat he fills you. (Psalm 147:14)

•The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

•…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (John 6:53)

•For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (John 6:55)

Reflection:

•Have you journeyed through the desert of hard times or spiritual despair? Was God with you? Was a community with you?

•Do you journey alone or with a community?

•Is your community limited to those who are living now?

•Will you starve without the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist?

•Is the Eucharist an individual or community celebration?

We tend to think of individual human beings as unconnected until they choose to become connected either because it is useful or because of some natural attraction. But there is an important biblical alternative to this interpretation, in many ways countercultural. We are all children of the same God, with the same earth as our common home. We are inter-related and interdependent. We have no choice about whether we live in relationships. Our only choices are whether we tell the truth about our social existence and whether we live in ways that redeem the relational web that is always and forever the matrix of our becoming.

It (Body of Christ) is a way of being in the world with one another and with Christ because of who God is. The body of Jesus in life, the Body of Christ in the Easter event, the Body of Christ who we are, the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, and the Body of Christ that we become more fully in the resurrection of the body—all these belong together in Body’s (of Christ) total meaning.

Most Holy Trinity (A)

Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9
Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
2 Cor 13:11-13
Jn 3:16-18

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate and honor God's character as the Most Holy Trinity.

The first reading shows us the Father, as he parented the baby nation of Israel. We see that he is "a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and faithfulness" — the Perfect Father. If we have difficulty seeing him this way, our spirits need healing. We have to mentally differentiate him from our human dads and other authority figures who've imperfectly modeled God.

The second reading shows us the entire Trinity: the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and our friendly partnership with the Holy Spirit. In this and because of this, we are to rejoice, mend our ways, and live in peace with one another.

In other words, because Jesus bore our sins as he died on the cross and then conquered death, he provides us with grace so that we can resist sin, and he provides us with the Father's love so that we can love one another no matter what, and he provides us with the Holy Spirit, who fellowships with us and empowers us so that we can continually live as holy Christians.

The Gospel reading shows us the depth of the Father's love. He doesn't condemn us for our sins; he gives us his Son to rescue us from condemnation. Our sins condemn us and sentence us to eternal death, but Jesus saves us from this by taking us to eternal life — IF we want him to!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Which Person of the Trinity do you know the least? Or feel distant from? Or fear? How have human relationships interfered with feeling God's closeness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Which Person of the Trinity do you feel you know the best? Why? How is the Trinity the perfect example of a good, loving, healthy relationship?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for Trinity Sunday.

As a friar, it sometimes happens that when I've planned a trip by car that another member of my community asks to ride along. I confess it makes me stop and think: Do I want to spend hours in the car with that person? Traveling with another person means forming a relationship or building on one.

In today's first reading, Moses asks God to "come along in our company," to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses admits they are "stiff-necked"—perhaps not the best traveling companions.

But in reality, it's God who's invited Israel on this trip. And God will supply what's needed to get them to their destination. Their relationship with God will be life-giving.

Today on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate a divine relationship—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three divine persons, one God. Understanding how that relationship works may be more than we can comprehend. But understanding what that relationship means is essential.

Through the Trinity we have strength to live in relationship to one another. As today's second reading says: We're to encourage one another and live in peace—and the God of love and peace will, in effect, "come along in our company." Such a relationship is God's plan for us.

The Gospel tells us that in what is perhaps the New Testament's most famous quote, John 3:16—God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

Scripture:

•“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” (Exodus 34:6)

•Blessed are you who look into the depths. (Daniel 3:55)

•The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)

•God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Reflection:

•In your life who has always treated you with kindness and faithfulness?

•If you were able to look past the superficiality that is the world and peer into the depth that is your being what would you find residing in that place?

•What is the only way out of the inherent conflict that is the world? How did you find this way?

When I consent to the will and mercy of God as it comes to me in the events of life appealing to my inner self and awakening my faith, I break through the superficial exterior appearances that forms my routine vision of the world and my own self, and I find myself in the presence of hidden majesty. It may appear to me that this majesty and presence is something objective, “outside myself.”…Yet this is a majesty that we do not see with our eyes and it is within ourselves. It is the mission of the Word and Spirit, from the Father, in the depths of my own being. It is a majesty communicated to us, shared with us, so that our whole being is filled with the gift of glory and responds with adoration.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org Good News Ministries

Pentecost (A)

Acts 2:1-11
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Jn 20:19-23

"Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." This is our prayer in the responsorial Psalm for Pentecost. It's the reason the Church can exist and continues to exist. We live in the age of the Holy Spirit. Without the power and presence of the Spirit of Christ, Christianity would have been unable to change the world and sustain itself for 2000 years. Without the Spirit of Christ, we Christians would be unable to do what Christ did.

Pentecost Sunday re-lives the birthday of the Church, and as it does, it also re-lives our spiritual birthdays, i.e., our initiations as members of the Church. It's a community-wide celebration of the impact that our baptisms have had on our lives and it's a reaffirmation of the Sacrament of Confirmation when the bishop confirmed that we truly received the Holy Spirit during our baptism.

Pentecost reminds us that through these sacraments we received God's power and presence so that we can overcome sin, live in holiness, and change the world around us.

How does God "renew the face of the earth"? Through us! First, God the Father gave the Holy Spirit to Jesus so that he could successfully fulfill his calling on earth. Now, the Father has given his Spirit to us, so that we can continue the work of renewal that Jesus began.

If you feel inadequate for any holy task or any righting of a wrong or any victory over sin and unhealthiness, you're correct: You are inadequate. But the Spirit of God who dwells in you is more than adequate. Proceed forward trusting in this partnership!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Are you making a difference on the earth because of the Holy Spirit living in you and working through you? What is the Holy Spirit doing — or wanting to do — through you? Make a list answering this, beginning with your home life, then your job, then your parish, then your recreational activities, in that order of priority.

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How did you first discover that the Holy Spirit was making a difference in the lives of others through you? Describe a recent time when God partnered with you. How do feel about the Spirit renewing the world through you? What are your hopes and dreams for this?

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Shortly after Easter one year, a woman in a parish who had been received into the Church at the Easter Vigil shared that how welcomed she felt in the Catholic family. The sense of openness and tolerance she experienced was especially important to her.

It’s a characteristic of Catholicism to see God’s goodness in all of creation, in various human endeavors, and in the cultures and histories of human beings wherever the gospel is preached. While we haven’t always lived up to that ideal, it was happy that the new parishioner experienced something of that spirit.

That universal dimension is also one of the themes of Pentecost. The dramatic story of the descent of the Holy Spirit tells us how the Holy Spirit can break down walls we may put up between peoples, races, cultures. What we see as obstacles, the Spirit can use to create a new unity, a reversal of the Babel story in Genesis, when people let human arrogance lead to disunity, as one human language fractured into many different tongues.

Today, across our world, a myriad of voices, different languages, and many cultural expressions will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Let’s join our voices with that Pentecost chorus.

Scripture:

•And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… (Acts 2:4)

•When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30)

•For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

•Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

•And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)

Reflection:

•Describe “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

•Explain “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

•What is John saying when he writes, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’”?

The problem of forming Christ in us is not to be solved by our own efforts. It is not a matter of studying the Gospels and then working to put our ideas into practice, although we should try and do that too, but always under the guidance of grace, in complete subjection to the Holy Spirit.

For if we depend on our own ideas, our own judgment and our own efforts to reproduce the life of Christ, we will only act out some pious charade which will ultimately scare everybody we meet because it will be so stiff and artificial and so dead.

It is the Spirit of God that must teach us Who Christ is and form Christ in us and transform us into other Christs.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Seventh Sunday of Easter (A)

Acts 1:12-14
Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8 or Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
1 Pt 4:13-16
Jn 17:1-11a

All the readings for this Sunday's Mass can be best enjoyed, understood and summed up by the message we proclaim in the responsorial Psalm. This should be a favorite scripture that we post at our desks or on our mirrors or anywhere we'll see it often, because it has the power to uplift us when we're experiencing the darkest of times and the most hopeless of situations: "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living!" Oh yeah, alleluia!

Repeatedly, God used it to reaffirm that we can trust in his promises. It was going to be a long, painful time before the good things of the Lord that we were praying for would finally come to pass, and not all if it has come to full fruition yet, but this scripture kept our faith intact.

The Gospel reading shows us that Jesus recognized the good things of his Father in the land of the living. Notice how he appreciated the trust that his followers had placed in him. Isn't it delightful when the people we care about believe us and accept everything that we give to them as we offer them our faith!

And when they don't? That's when we turn to Jesus and give to him the love that they've rejected. We accept his words, as revealed in scripture, understanding that he came from the Father, and thus we gain trust in the Father's plan. Jesus is praying for you. Eventually, you WILL INDEED see the good things of the Lord in the land of living!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are the good things of the Lord that you're waiting for? How do you feel about the wait? How strong is your trust in God's perfect timing? What is God asking YOU to do so that you will become more available to his blessings?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Think of a time when you had to wait on God. What gave you hope? Which one of next Sunday's readings can you most closely identify with?

- Waiting in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit, not knowing what will happen next (first reading).

- Sharing in the sufferings of Christ (second reading).

- Working hard in a job or ministry and trusting the Father for its outcome (Gospel reading).

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How often do we promise to pray for someone we care about? Did you know there’s a special prayer for each of us, prayed by Christ himself?

Today we read from John’s Gospel from what known as the “Last Discourse.” At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks to his disciples about his coming absence. Scripture scholar Raymond Brown tells us that Christ’s words, addressed to his intimate circle of followers, can also be understood as the Risen Jesus speaking from heaven to all those who will follow after him.

Today’s selection, near the end of the Discourse, is a prayer of Jesus, addressed to the Father. It sums up Christ’s work on earth. He’s revealed God to the disciples and they’ve entered into a relationship with God, in and through Jesus. Now, he prays for those who will remain “in the world,” after he has returned to the Father.

We’re the subjects of this prayer as much as the original disciples were. We remain “in the world.” We need support and affirmation to continue living out the word entrusted to us by Christ.

Elsewhere, the Lord assures us that the Spirit is his gift to us, providing the support we need. We pray for that gift as we approach next week’s Feast of Pentecost.

Scripture:

•After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (Acts 1:12)

•Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. (Psalm 27:8)

•If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

•Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)

Reflection:

•How do you know Jesus the Son of God and how do you know God?

•What does your heart speak? Where does your glance seek?

•Is there any other way to be blessed by God except to be insulted in the name of Jesus Christ?

•How far can you travel on a Sabbath day’s journey? (Hint: How far do you travel when you receive the Eucharist and where do you arrive?)

The man who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean; it’s impossible to separate them anymore…. In these vast depths of love, there’s enough to lose yourself for eternity.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Sixth Sunday of Easter (A)

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
1 Pt 3:15-18
Jn 14:15-21

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is our "Advocate". Some scholars translate the word to "Counselor". In the original Greek language, it means "called alongside". It's closely related to the verb "parakaleo" ("to call" or "summon") from which we get "Paraclete" as a name for the Holy Spirit. In ancient Greek society, it referred to a legal assistant, a courtroom advocate. Jesus is telling us that the Holy Spirit is our legal assistant who speaks up for us when we're accused, judged, or wrongly condemned.

Notice that Jesus refers to our Advocate as the "Spirit of truth". God always knows the truth about us, despite what people think of us and the wrong things they say about us. Remember: It's only his opinion of us that really matters. And his opinion of us is better than we think it is!

We judge ourselves more harshly than we should, and this is why we worry so much about how badly others might judge us. If we honestly examine our consciences, confessing our sins during the Penance Rite at Mass or in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and if we genuinely want to improve, then Jesus says to us what he said to other sinners: "I do not condemn you; go and sin no more."

Don't you sometimes wish that Jesus would come physically to your rescue when you're undergoing trials? He said that he will not leave us orphans — he will always be with us in the Spirit when we need to be defended.

To love him is to desire to keep his commandments, and when we fail, the Spirit of Truth says to the Father: "Look, this precious child really does want to be holy." To us, the Spirit says, "Let me teach you how to grow in holiness and avoid this sin." And to others, the Spirit says: "If you love me, love this precious friend of mine."

Questions for Personal Reflection:

How have you been unjustly accused and unfairly judged? Imagine what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Father about that. And to those who condemned you. What is he saying to you about you?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when God defended you. How did the Advocate manifest his help? Who learned more from it: you or your accusers?

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Have you ever been visited by representatives of a particular religion or Church, going door to door to evangelize? While most of probably have, I suspect the reverse is not true. Rarely do Catholics engage in such face-to-face faith-sharing. I know I’m very shy about approaching a total stranger with a request to consider learning about Jesus.

Today’s Scripture selections continue our Easter instructions for the newly baptized. The first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, reflects how Christian witness might be received—persecution was a real threat for the Church in Jerusalem. The First Letter of Peter seems to reflect a similar harsh reality. Peter urges Christians to approach others, ready to explain who we are, but to do so with “gentleness and reverence.”

That reminds me of the advice St. Francis of Assisi gave his brothers who were thinking of being missionaries. He told them to “avoid quarrels or disputes and to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake.” Francis was quoting from the First Letter of Peter. The letter goes on to encourage those fearful of persecution to remember that Christ also suffered persecution. In the Gospel, Jesus himself assures us that we will not be alone; the Holy Spirit will be present with us, to support and guide us.

Scripture:

•Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:17)

•Shout joyfully to God, all the earth, sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!…” (Psalm 66:2,3)

•Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18b)

•…and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. (John 14:16,7)

Reflection:

•Jesus comes to those who love him. How do you love Jesus?

•How is the “Advocate,” the “Spirit of Truth,” alive in you?

•How is it that the world is not capable of receiving the Spirit? Are you in the world or in the spirit?

To come to possess all desire to possess nothing. To arrive at being all desire to be nothing.

The soul that journeys to God but does not shake off its cares and quiet its appetites is like one who drags a cart uphill.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Fifth Sunday of Easter (A)

Acts 6:1-7
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
1 Pt 2:4-9
Jn 14:1-12

This Sunday's Gospel reading ends with a very astounding verse: "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these." What does he mean — how can we do the same — and bigger — supernatural miracles than Jesus did? The answer is found in the context of the entire chapter, as Jesus explains his close relationship with the Father, i.e., what he does for the Father and with the Father. Remember, Jesus was (and still is) both human and divine. We need to look at these verses with this in mind.

The "works I do" means what he did with his humanity FOR the Father. As a human, he did very human works, i.e., the same types of good deeds that you and I readily do in appreciation for the love that God the Father has for us.

As beloved children, we love others as he loves them, we teach what we've learned, we share what we've been given, we listen to those who need someone to understand them, we work hard on the job to our fullest potential, offering a helping hand when we see a need, etc. There's nothing supernatural about it. It's being who we are, human children of a loving Daddy-God.

The "greater" works are what Jesus did in his divinity WITH the Father. They are the miracles that the Father worked through Jesus, because the love of the Father and the love of the Son are one love.

When Jesus took upon himself the punishment for our sins and the Father raised him from the dead, Jesus gave us his divinity so that we can continue his works on earth. Because we've received God's divinity in our baptisms, the Father extends himself through us to the world. With him, we can love the unlovable after they've pushed us past our human limits, we can be instruments of miracles, we can hear God speak to us, and we can share his wisdom and comfort without knowing what to say. We can do everything that God asks of us, despite our inadequacies.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Make a list of your gifts and talents. Then reflect on how each of these are the human works of Jesus for the world today. How has the Father also worked through you supernaturally?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Name some of the good works being done in your parish or group: How do these reflect the human nature of Jesus? Name some of the ways that your parish or group shows the Father's supernatural nature to the world. How can we become better able to do the "greater works" of the Father?

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Do you ever long with nostalgia for the “good old days”?

I wonder if the early Christians, after the excitement of the first Pentecost had worn off, longed for their own “good old days.” As they found themselves “in for the long haul,” trying to set up structures and institutions for the growing community, did they wish they were back when it was just Jesus and a little band of disciples?

The passage from the Last Supper in John’s Gospel today seems to anticipate that situation. Jesus reassures his troubled followers that he is going to prepare a place for them. When they want to know the “way” to this place, Jesus tells them he is “the way.” The disciples will go on to do Christ’s work—a mission to a wider world. Elsewhere in that Last Supper discourse, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be present to remind them of all he’s said and done.

The spread of the gospel challenged the fledgling community as the Church grew, and encompassed other languages, cultures and regions. New structures and new ministries would be needed.

The same is true in our day. Facing a new millennium, we need to know the Holy Spirit, Christ’s gift to the Church, is present to teach us what’s needed today, and unite us to Christ, our way, our truth and our life.

Scripture:

•They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. (Acts 6:6)

•He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full. (Psalm 33:5)

•Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4,5)

•”…Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.… Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:10,12)

Reflection:

•How are you a vessel of Jesus, “a living stone?”

•What are the greater works that those who believe in Jesus do?

•How are you a “spiritual house, a holy priesthood?”


The “return” is the end beyond all ends, and the beginning of beginnings. To “return to the Father” is not to “go back” in time, to roll up the scroll of history, or to reverse anything. It is a going forward, a going beyond, for merely to retrace one’s steps would be a vanity on top of vanity, a renewal of the same absurdity in reverse. Our destiny is to go on beyond everything, to leave everything, to press forward to the End and find in the End our Beginning, the ever-new beginning that has no end. To obey Him on the way, in order to reach Him in whom I have begun, who is the key and the end— because he is the beginning.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (A)

Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
1 Pt 2:20b-25
Jn 10:1-10

Are you at an impasse in your spiritual growth or emotional healing or a difficult relationship? Do you need a breakthrough? Do you feel stuck behind a fence that's keeping you on the outside of peace, joy, satisfaction, or healing? This Sunday's Gospel reading tells us that Jesus is the gate in that fence. He helps us reach the heavenly side of the gate, outside the realm of earthly restrictions — not only when we die and enter eternal life, but also here and now in our earthly life, so that we might always "have life and have it more abundantly."

When our path seems blocked, we can only make progress by letting Jesus shepherd us around and through and over the obstacles. If people shut a door on something that God wants us to do, Jesus is still our open gate and no one can close him out of our lives. He will lead us into a new opportunity for accomplishing the plans of God. If he's given us a frustrated holy desire, a passion for which there seems to be no outlet, instead of complaining or quitting, we must look at Jesus and see him as a gate that opens into a direction or location.

And until we get all the way through this gate, we stick close to him like dumb sheep. There's a journey to take before we can reach the other side of the fence. The thief that comes to steal and slaughter can only reach us when we stray away from Jesus and we take our eyes off of him. Despair and worry are two common thieves, robbing us of peace, joy, satisfaction, and healing. But they're not as powerful as they pretend to be. They do not speak the truth about the destruction we fear. They are merely trying to make us forget that Jesus is our Good Shepherd safely guiding us into a life of abundant victory.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What breakthrough are you hoping for? What's frustrating you and seems hopeless? What's causing you to think that a problem you're facing might lead to disaster and destruction? What will you do this week to follow Jesus more closely so that you can get through this with more peace?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Share the story of a time when you experienced obstacles and Jesus provided a breakthrough that led to victory.

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Are you ready to continue your “post-graduate” work as a Christian?

On the Sundays of Easter the liturgy offers instruction for the newly baptized. All of us are “enrolled” in that course along with them. Our “curriculum” comes from the First Letter of Peter, the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels. They all suggest how a community rooted in Christ witnesses in the world, with the Spirit’s help.

Today we’re reminded again of the Jesus we follow. A sermon from Acts on the first Pentecost calls listeners to conversion. The second reading—perhaps drawn from an early baptismal instruction to Christian converts who were Roman slaves—presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant, a theme we heard in Holy Week. The instruction urges the newly baptized to identify with and follow Christ as “shepherd of our souls.”

It’s a metaphor found in John’s Gospel. Imagine a crowded sheepfold, noisy with milling flocks and the conflicting voices of shepherds calling their sheep. It’s a likely place for a thief to slip over the wall and do mischief. But the Good Shepherd enters boldly by the main gate, calls us by name, and we recognize him. With the voice of the Shepherd calling us, we continue our Easter celebration of Baptism.

Scripture:

•…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, (Acts 2:38,9)

•The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. (Psalm 23)

•When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; (1 Peter 2:23)

•I am the gate for the sheep.…I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. (John 10:7b,9)

Reflection:

•Have you taken comfort in Psalm 23 when you were troubled or sad?

•Have you followed the example of Jesus (1 Peter) in not returning violence through acting with God’s grace?

•How is Jesus the “gate” in your life?

I call upon you to love one another as Jesus has commanded.
I call upon you to renew your efforts to appreciate and respect each others’ cultural diversity.
I call upon you to show special concern for the poor and those who are pushed to the margins of society.
I call upon you to work for a more just society, in which wealth will be more evenly divided and in which it will be possible for all to live a life in keeping with human dignity.
I call upon you, especially the young people, to respond to the Lord’s love and to share his joy with others.
I call upon you who are sick to offer your sufferings for the growth of the kingdom of God.
And I commend all of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the perfect example of dedication to the Lord, the Mother of him who says: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved You.” Amen.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Third Sunday of Easter (A)

Acts 2:14, 22-33
Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
1 Pt 1:17-21
Lk 24:13-35

The two disciples in next Sunday's Gospel reading did not recognize Jesus until after they heard him explain the scriptures and then broke bread with him. It was a two-part process. First, while listening to him teach about the scriptures, only their hearts recognized him ("Were not our hearts burning within us?"). Their eyes didn't become open to his true identity until Jesus took the bread of a shared meal, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them to eat.

When we celebrate Mass today, we're on a similar journey with Jesus. First, we have the Liturgy of the Word, during which we hear the scriptures and a homily that explains them. This is a time of listening with our hearts.

A well-trained reader will speak the words of scripture with meaning and emphasis so that our hearts can recognize Jesus. A well-trained priest or deacon will teach us about the scriptures so that our hearts on set on fire as if Jesus himself were teaching us. But even if the reader or homilist does a poor job, our hearts can tune in and hear what Jesus is saying to us.

Then we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. When the presiding priest consecrates the bread and wine, it is Jesus himself who is actually doing it, using the priest's hands and vocal chords. Jesus is doing for us what he did for those two disciples at Emmaus.

If we have opened our hearts to Jesus during the first part of Mass, and if we are still paying attention, we see much more than a wafer of bread and a chalice of wine. We see Jesus. We recognize him with our hearts AND our heads. We know beyond all doubt that the resurrected Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Where does Jesus seem to be absent from your life? Did you ever feel like he was missing? How can the Mass help you recognize Jesus and feel his closeness? What else can you do to discover the presence of Jesus where you otherwise have not been able to sense his nearness?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

When did you discover that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist? How do you know that the bread and wine change into the substance of Jesus while retaining their original form (which is called "transubstantiation")? Is it always easy for you to recognize Jesus in the Eucharist?

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In human life, there’s no substitute for daily, lived experience, no matter how much “book learning” you’ve had.

On these Sundays of Easter the Church teaches the newly baptized—and all of us—how to live Christian life day by day. Selections from the First Letter of Peter and the Acts of the Apostles stress our witness to Christ in the real world. The Easter Gospels highlight how the Holy Spirit supports and guides the Church in that task.

Today’s Gospel, perhaps the most powerful of the Resurrection stories, portrays what Christians have experienced in Eucharist since the beginning of the Church. Two disciples full of grief after the death of Jesus, flee Jerusalem to escape the tragic events of Good Friday.

On the road to Emmaus, the risen Lord meets them, explains the Scriptures, and they recognize him in the breaking of the bread.

Our experience, like Christians down through the ages, is identical. In the midst of human life—no matter where we find ourselves—Christians gather to share their common needs and gifts, strengths and weaknesses, fears and joys. We break open the Scriptures so that Jesus may teach us. We break the bread and recognize Christ present. From the Eucharistic table we go out as the Body of Christ, ready to witness.

In the Sundays that follow, our Scriptures will help us understand the consequences of that witness.

Scripture:

•God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear. (Acts 2:32,33)

•You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (Psalm 16:11)

•…who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

•Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to
them in the breaking of bread. (Luke 24:35)

Reflection:

•Where do the two disciples experience of Jesus? How do they describe it?

•Where does the Psalmist find Jesus? How is it described?

•Where does Luke find Jesus? What is the experience like?

•Where did Mary of Magdala and the disciples find Jesus? What do they say about it?

•In the first few days after the resurrection, when the disciples are experiencing the resurrected Jesus first time, none know quite how to describe this new presence. Have you ever encountered this newness in experiencing Jesus again for the first time? What was it like? How are you like the disciples in trying to explain the experience?

Many men in the past have been loved with extreme intensity—Socrates by his disciples, Julius Caesar by his legionnaires, Napoleon by his soldiers. But today these men belong irrevocably to the past; not a heart beats at their memory. There is no one who would give their life or even their possessions for them even though their ideals are still being advocated. And when their ideals are opposed, no one ever thinks of cursing Socrates or Julius Caesar or Napoleon, because their personalities no longer have any influence; they are bygones. But not Jesus; Jesus is still loved and still cursed; men still renounce their possessions and even their lives both for love of him and out of hatred for him. No living being is as alive as Jesus.

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Annunciation of the Lord

The feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. As Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.

She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).

Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.

Comment:

Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design.

Quote:

“Enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness, the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God’s saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the grace of Almighty God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org

Second Sunday of Easter (A) (also Divine Mercy Sunday)

Acts 2:42-47
Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Pt 1:3-9
Jn 20:19-31

What does it mean to live the Easter experience? We are an Easter people, because we know and celebrate that Jesus has risen from the dead. And yet, we're not always rejoicing and shouting "hallelujah". We don't always feel like celebrating – in Mass nor outside the church where our joy could influence people toward conversion.

We're not quite able find an end to the Good Friday experience of carrying our crosses.

This Sunday's second reading describes what the Easter experience should feel like: We rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy. But how?

An attitude of joy does not come from reaching the end of our cross-like burdens. Rather, it comes from knowing that Christ's death and resurrection is going to give us an inheritance of eternal life in God's abundant love and peace.

Our joy comes from knowing that this gift is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading," and that Jesus is keeping it ready for us so that when we die, we won't lose the gift – it's being safeguarded by the power of God because by our faith we have accepted the gift in advance.

This joy-from-knowing is the true definition of "hope". Hope isn't wishful thinking. Hope means celebrating what is certainly going to happen BEFORE it happens.

Many Catholics fear that they might lose their salvation, because they don't trust themselves. They fear that maybe they will turn away from Jesus between now and the hour of their deaths. If you worry about this, let me ask you: During times of suffering, do you reject God or run to him?

Even when we get angry at him, we're actually very close to him. We're angry because we believe in him and trust him and he seems to be disappointing us, not because we have no faith in him. And thus our faith is purified by our trials. As an Easter people, we know that our sufferings are temporary and that someday we will enter into eternal joy. This is what we celebrate even while carrying our crosses.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

In what ways has God apparently disappointed you? What's he doing — or not doing — that's upsetting you? How is this increasing your closeness to him, even if it feels like he's silent and distant?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:

Give an example of wishful thinking: What have you wished for in prayer? What have you been begging God to do? How is this wish based on hope (joy-from-knowing)? Even if your wish never comes true, what's your reason for a higher hope?

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“I’ll need to see some proof.” “How can you be certain?” Have you used one of those expressions today?

Influenced by the scientific mindset which greatly affects the way we look at our contemporary world, most of us are quick to call for proof for anything out of the ordinary, or beyond our experience. We don’t want to be “taken in” by extravagant claims or wild speculations.

So today’s Gospel, the story of “Doubting Thomas,” has a modern appeal. Thomas wants proof of the Resurrection. Scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown notes that Thomas’s story comes near the end of a string of stories that link faith to something concrete: the Beloved Disciple sees the burial cloths in the tomb, Mary Magdalene hears Christ’s voice, the disciples see the Risen Lord. So it’s natural for Thomas, in turn, to ask for proof to answer his doubts.

But Father Brown notes that the evangelist and Jesus are looking for a different reaction: What about those who believe without any physical evidence? Clearly, John wants his readers to make that act of faith, for Jesus calls such believers “blessed.”

When we hear this Gospel proclaimed in our local parish this weekend, let’s look around and take heart from our fellow believers. When my faith wavers, I gain strength from the Holy Spirit, at work in the community of faith.

Scripture:

•They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. (Acts 2:42)

•The LORD, my strength and might, came to me as savior. (Psalm 118:14)

•Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3,4)

•Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8)

•Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)

Reflection:

•How important is the Eucharist and prayer to your spiritual life?
a) Can take it or leave it.
b) More important when I am troubled or in a crisis.
c) Feel better when I take the time to pray and receive the Eucharist.
d) Can’t survive without daily prayer and more than weekly Eucharist.


•Describe your feeling of joy for prayer and the sacraments.
a) Don’t see a need.
b) Feel good about participating.
c) Daily practice and central to my life.
d) Overwhelming presence that is central to my sense of well-being.


•What does Jesus mean, “As the father has sent me so I send you.”
a) I don’t understand what is expected.
b) I live a Christian life of loving my family and friends.
c) I find ways to help the poor and marginalized.
d) I find ways to build the community of the faithful by participating in the Eucharist and being the Eucharist to others.

The more you pray, the more you want to pray…It’s like a fish that starts by swimming near the surface of the water, then plunges and goes on swimming deeper and deeper. The soul plunges, is swallowed up, loses itself in the delights of the conversation with God.¹

(In the quote above replace the word “pray” with “love”, “act kindly” or “give generously.”)

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Amerciancatholic.org and Good News Ministries

Easter Sunday (A)

Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8
Jn 20:1-9

Are you ready to proclaim the Good News about how Jesus has helped you? Or do you hesitate because don't yet understand how the deaths in your life have been resurrected into new life, how the tragedies and other difficulties have led you into triumphs and great blessings?

This was the mental state of the disciples on the first Easter morning, as depicted in the Gospel of John.

The attitude of Peter in the reading from Acts is quite a contrast! The disciples now know their calling: They were commissioned to testify and to teach that Jesus is the Savior, and they fully embraced this vocation.

To “testify” means to share the truth based on your own experiences. Peter specifically proclaimed that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins. Of course! Peter knew first-hand what it's like to need and then receive God's forgiveness.

We will not understand how our sufferings lead us to new life until we start talking about it. The first inklings of insight awaken when we discuss it within our close, holy friendships, like Mary of Magdala did when she ran to Peter and John after discovering the empty tomb. They, in turn, told the other disciples. It was while they were together, in community, that Jesus appeared and revealed the full truth to them. Later, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they evangelized the world by sharing their experiences with anyone willing to listen.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. The empty tomb doesn't immediately make sense. What has been confusing to you during your faith journey? What has caused you to feel empty and frightened? Where might Jesus be in this?

2. How have your own experiences of being forgiven enabled you to feel more compassionate toward others? Does that change the way you talk to them about God and church and other spiritual or moral issues?

3. What is the biggest change that Jesus has brought into your life? What were you like before this change? How did God intervene? What were the results? This is your testimony. Practice sharing it by telling the story to your small Christian community.

“There is no tale ever told,” author J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote in an essay on storytelling, that people “would rather find was true.” The Catholic author of the The Lord of the Rings was speaking of the story of Jesus. Today, as we accompany Peter and the Beloved Disciple, making their way to the tomb, we might echo Tolkien’s comment.

Our faith, as St. Paul tells the Corinthians, rests on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. We base everything on the truth of the story. But establishing that truth is not a matter of science, history or archaeology. Rather, as we seek to grow in faith, we call upon the Holy Spirit, who lives within the Christian community. In the Easter Gospels, we hear the witness of the first followers of Jesus: Jesus was risen; they had experienced him, alive in their midst. Their testimony in the Spirit moves us to a faith-filled “Alleluia.”

It’s true that we live in a skeptical age. And yet in his essay, J.R.R. Tolkien pays tribute to the power of the Christian proclamation. He notes that there is no other story which so many skeptics “have accepted as true on its own merits.”

Our Easter Gospel is a story of living faith, in which we are participants, and to which we are now witnesses. The Spirit of the living Christ has called us to testify to its truth.

Scripture:

•They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day (Acts 10:39b,40a)

•The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (Psalm 118:22,23)

•For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

•On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. (John 20:1)

Reflection:

But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb. (Matthew 27:61) (Palm Sunday Liturgy)

Mary of Magdala, awake before dawn,
not waiting light.
Seeks the tomb,
quiet dark emptiness,
specter stone moved.
Heart quickens,
frees Peter’s grief,
after mourning denial.
Mary’s breath running lost,
tomb of emptied death.
Jesus echoes mind,
“After three days—raised up?”
Peter reprieves sleep again,
enters stone void.
Where is the Lord risen from the dead?

Published by Jacob Soo
Credits to Americancatholic.org and Good News Ministries