April 28, 2019

2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy)
Acts 5: 12-16; Revelation 1: 9-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31
What a special Gospel for each of us to spend time in reflection: Jesus’ first appearance to the
Apostles on Easter Sunday after His Resurrection. Jesus enters the Upper Room, the scene of the
Last Supper. Jesus appeared to the gathered apostles. The apostles had barricaded themselves
behind locked doors. They were afraid that what had happened to Jesus would happen to them. Just
look how the High Priests had stirred up the crowd and even got Pilate to look like a weakling. Luke
describes the scene when Jesus appeared to the apostles this way: “But they were startled and terrified
and thought they were seeing a ghost.” Jesus then said: “Peace be with you! (Luke 24: 36) John
describes it this way: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the
disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.”
Jesus is present to them…just as He is present to every single person every moment of their lives.
This scene is of tremendous impact in the faith lives of each person. It describes the ‘call of faith’
that God pronounces to each person. Jesus came to tell us that God loves each person and desires
each person to be in Heaven. That means me…we have to personalize this.
It is interesting in the readings today that fear is contrasted with confidence. In Acts, Peter plays a
prominent role. He has already addressed his fellow Jews on Pentecost; cured a crippled beggar
with these beautiful words, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of
Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise] and walk.” Peter then left the Sanhedrin who were bent on convicting
him and the others and receiving a stern warning not to talk about Jesus again, Immediately after
their release they boldly proclaimed the message of the Gospel: God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and
the need for each person to proclaim faith in Jesus. Today’s reading has them on the outskirts of the
Temple being witnesses, doing God’s work. There is an interesting phrase from Luke, They were all
together in Solomon’s portico. None of the others dared to join them.” It seems that some could not detach
themselves from their worldly concerns as we can see in the later story about Ananias and Sapphira.
People brought family and friends who were ailing and sick and possessed with unclean spirits; all
were cured. What keeps me reluctant to respond in faith to the Gospel demands to be Jesus’
witness? The apostles were deeply afraid. Am I afraid of what others say or think about my living
the Gospel? Do I feel that others more qualified should be the ones who live the love Jesus tells us
needs to be seen by people in my everyday life? Do I realize that Jesus is always challenging me?
John is on Patmos which at that time served as a Roman penal colony. Probably John had been
imprisoned because he refused to worship the emperor as a god. John never states this in his
writings. He is writing about a vision he had of the Risen Lord walking among golden lamp stands
which represent the community of believers. John is directed to write down what he sees so that
others will be encouraged to remain faithful to the Risen Lord. Do I share the insights I receive that
have told me of God’s love, care and mercy and goodness? Do I share my own faith stories?
One of the ways the early Christians expressed their faith was to share how Jesus touched them,
appeared to them, uplifted them after His Resurrection. The first reaction was one of shock…’I
though He was dead, killed by the Jewish leaders?’ Today the apostles were in the Upper Room,
terrified perhaps is the best word to describe their mood. Suddenly Jesus appears right there in the
middle of the room. What…where…how did this happen…am I imagining this…what does this
mean…and He says, “Peace be with you.” THEY STILL DID NOT BELIEVE…It is only when He
shows them His hands and His side that they knew this really was Jesus. Fear goes away they
rejoice and Jesus says again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” Jesus does
not beat around the bush…now you have a mission…each person has an assignment…I am called to
be Jesus in my world. How? Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you
forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This is God’s work, now it is their
work. Now it is my work. It’s the work of all to love and forgive; care and be merciful; touching
with our own ‘healing’ gifts. We can say…I can’t do that. Well, Thomas was absent and did not
believe what the apostles had told him. He felt left out. Could he have felt that he was unworthy?
No need to speculate, God has all things covered: Jesus appears again. “Peace be with You…put your
finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but
believe.” Once Thomas sees, he is a pillar of faith. Does he touch Jesus’ wounds? We don’t know…
but he sees and believes. Faith without evidence is a very rare grace”
Connections, a newsletter of ideas and images for preaching the Sunday Gospels shares, “On Easter
night, Jesus shows His wounds and talks about them freely; they are no longer a source of pain and
bitter memory, but now heal and teach and bless: they heal Thomas’ troubled soul, riddled with the
loss of faith; they restore Peter and the Eleven to hope and communion with Jesus; they reveal God’s
peace still in their midst despite the horror to the past three days. Our own wounds and scars can
have a similar effect on our lives: they can teach us how fragile our lives are they can reveal to us
the love of God in the compassion and care of those who treated us; they can assure us of our ability
to love by putting our bodies on the line for the protection and safety of others. Easter neither
denies the effects of Good Friday nor erases the wounds of crucifixion; Easter is God’s compassion
moving us beyond the scars of crucifixion to healing and wholeness. Jesus says to Thomas and His
brothers, Don’t be afraid of the nail marks and the scars and the fractured bones and the crushed
spirit and the broken heart. Compassion, forgiveness, justice — no matter how clumsily offered —
can heal and mend. In the light of unwavering hope, with the assurance of God’s unlimited grace,
every scar on our own bodies—the marks of courageous sacrifice, hard-earned wisdom, and selfless
kindness—is the realization of the promise of Easter in our midst.”
So I reflect on:
• I reflect on a time when I have felt that Christ was present with me and ask if it brought calm and
healing, and have I helped someone find Christ with these?
• Am I able to live in the peace that Christ offers? Am I at peace with myself?
Sacred Space 2019 states:
Thomas places his hands in the wounds of Jesus, and the experience draws from him the first, ringing
affirmation of Christ’s divinity: “My Lord and my God!” Fully human and divine. Eternally human, eternally
divine. His human nature is glorified, just as His divinity is humanized. Our human nature will be forever in
Him; His divinity dwells within us and will remain with us even to the consummation of the world.
Help me, Lord, to be before You and to hear Your word in this time of prayer. You know the needs of my
mind. You have heard my words. Now, let me listen for Your voice and know Your presence. I lay aside my
demands so that I can receive what You offer to me.”

April 21, 2019

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
Acts 10: 34, 37-43; 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8; John 20: 1-9
The Lord is risen as He promised…Let us rejoice and be glad. We have followed His last days. We
have been amazed at His preaching capsuling on the depths of His love. Every one of His actions
proved over and over His love and most importantly that He loves each one of us. He loves me!!! How
often do I spend time just reflecting on the fact that right now He is loving me? Do I have doubts
because of my past that He is loving me now? Do I really believe that Jesus said that each one of us is
His friend? Do I really believe that He suffered and died for me…that He rose to prove His love for me?
This is the total meaning of Easter! Do I realize that each Easter takes me to the next step in my faith
journey if I spend time in reflecting and in gratitude?
Special note: We tend to see that faith is what I have versus being a gift from God. We fail to see that
faith can be lost if we don’t each day nourish our relationship with God. Our plans and priorities have
dramatic changes. Many new discoveries await us each day. Do I realize that God is loving me and filling
me with His help to get me through the day? Do I realize that is what God does: just loves me constantly
and consistently? Do I let Him love me? I don’t have to do anything. He just loves and cares for me.
What else do I need?
The first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the second book that St. Luke wrote. It has
twenty-eight chapters describing how the salvation promised to Israel in the Old Testament was
accomplished by Jesus. Jesus gathered the apostles and commissioned them to preach His Gospel of
Love and redemption. They felt at first that they had to do this to the Jewish people living in Israel. But
three times Peter received a vision inviting him to broaden his outlook and realize that Jesus came to
save all people. (Acts 10: 9-16). In today’s reading, Peter had been invited to the home of the Roman
soldier Cornelius. Peter states: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with, or visit, a
Gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call any person profane or unclean…so why did you summon
me?” (Acts 10: 28) Cornelius shared how he also received a vision thanking him for his charitable
almsgiving and told him to summon Peter. He asks Peter to share what the Lord commanded him; this
leads into todays first reading. Peter shares the teachings, miracles and love of Jesus emphasizing the
role of the Holy Spirit. “While Peter was speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were
listening.” (Acts 10:44) All were then baptized, the first Gentiles who had accepted the word of God. The
Jewish Christians of Jerusalem were scandalized to learn of Peter’s visit to Cornelius but realized this
was a special edict from God. In chapter fifteen of Acts we hear of the Council of Jerusalem which
states that the evangelization of the Gentiles became the official position of the church leadership in
Jerusalem. Now we are the ones to share Jesus’ love. Do I hesitate or am I selective in my sharing?
Paul is responding to the Corinthians to a number of matters that require regulation. First was with the
incestuous union of a man with his stepmother and then Christians associating with fellow Christians
guilty of immorality. Paul shows how there needs to be a separation between the holy and the unholy.
The footnotes in the Catholic Study Bible interprets today’s passage. “Yeast, which induces
fermentation, is a natural symbol for a source of corruption that becomes all pervasive. The expression is
proverbial. In the Jewish calendar, Passover was followed immediately by the festival of Unleavened
Bread. In preparation for this feast all traces of old bread were removed from the house, and during the
festival only unleavened bread was eaten The sequence of these two feasts provides Paul with an image of
Christian existence: Christ’s death (the true Passover celebration) is followed by the life of the Christian
community, marked by newness, purity, and integrity (a perpetual feast of unleavened bread). Paul may
have been writing around Passover time; this is a little Easter homily, the earliest in Christian literature.”
The early Christians expressed their faith in Jesus’ resurrection by sharing two stories: Jesus’
appearances to the apostles after His resurrection and about the tomb being empty. They did not make
an effort to prove that Jesus had been raised from the dead rather they concentrated telling what the first
Christians believed happened to Jesus when He was raised from the dead. It all has to do with
relationship: to make Jesus Christ known we need to have a relationship with Him. We look at Peter and
John along with Mary of Magdala. None of us have seen the empty tomb. We have not seen the burial
cloths lying there. Nor have we seen the cloth that covered His head separate from the other cloths.
What has been our relationship? In Baptism we ‘put on Christ’ by promising to live the life of a
follower, believer and lover. In Confirmation we received the Holy Spirit realizing the Spirit is always
with us leading us with His help to be witnesses of Christ’s love to each person in our lives. We come to
the Eucharist and receive willingly His Body and His Blood knowing that He sacrificed all for each
person and me. We pick up Scripture and realize the variety of holy people who have made
commitments amid all their doubts and fears to be people who are dedicated to God’s plan of living by
loving. We take time and pray along with others knowing that God is alive in each of the lives and gifts
of His creations. These are the building blocks of a relationship. This relationship tells me I am
special…I am loved…I am needed so that others through my sharing of God’s gifts may realize they are
loved…this is God’s plan. So where do I need help living this plan today? God asks me this question
each day…why do I not ask for help…He loves me that much. Be grateful and love. Thank you Lord.
So I reflect on:
• Review and list the ways that I deepen my relationship with the Risen Christ.
• Review and list some examples of how people see Jesus in me each day.
• What signs of Christ’s presence do I experience at this time?
• What blessings have I received during the season of Lent?
• Where have I been surprised by the Holy Spirit this Lent? What does this tell me?
• Because of the Easter Bunny and candy etc, children may be confused by the meaning of Easter.
They need to hear the reasons Christians celebrate Easter…so do grown up people and adolescents.
Sacred Space 2019 states:
“Mary went to do her best, to tend to Jesus’ mortal remains. She accepted the reality as she saw it but was
determined to do what she could to bring dignity and honor to her loved one and her teacher. Help me, O God, to
do what I can as I remain alert, noticing the movement of Your Spirit. May I receive life as You offer it, even in
unexpected ways.
As described by Benedict XVI in his Easter Vigil homily, April 15, 2006, ‘The Resurrection was like an explosion of
light’ a ‘cosmic event’ linking heaven and earth. But above all, it was ‘an explosion of love.’ It ushered in a new
dimension of being…through which a new world emerges.’ It is a ‘leap in the history of ‘evolution’ and of life in
general towards a new future life, a new world which, starting from Christ, already continuously permeates this
world of ours, transforms it, and draws it to itself.’ The Resurrection unites us with God and others. ‘If we live in this
way, we transform the world.’ I sit with this paragraph and allow it to become my prayer

April 14, 2019

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord C
Isaiah 50: 47; Philippians 2: 6-11; Luke 22: 14–23:56
We begin the holiest of weeks accompanying Jesus in HIs intense suffering, death and Resurrection.
How do I feel? Am I keeping myself open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit or do I stay with the
same old…same old story handed down through the ages? God is always ‘new’…He is leading me in a
way that lets me discover more about His plan so I can effectively journey to heaven, my goal…God’s
plan for me. Am I cooperative with the Holy Spirit? Am I removing the roadblocks to this discovery of
God in my life this week? We set the stage as we analyze the readings on this Palm Sunday.
The Book of Isaiah is divided into two parts: the first part is called The Book of Judgment which
contains an anthology of poems composed by Isaiah. The second part is called the Book of Consolation,
sometimes called Deutero-Isaiah, composed by an anonymous poet who prophesied toward the end of
the Babylonian exile. A prominent portion of this section is the introduction of the Suffering Servant.
This figure will bring a feeling of reassurance after all the prideful and ‘bad’ people who came to light in
the first section. The kings had been unfaithful to the God of Israel and turned to other sources for help
and security. As a result the kingdoms collapsed. But now there is a promise of restoration. The people
are eager to put their faith in God. Today’s passage is the third of four passages on the Suffering
Servant. The footnote in the Catholic Study Bible describes the Suffering Servant: “Many
identifications have been proposed, e.g., historical Israel, ideal Israel, an Old Testament historical
character before or during the lifetime of the prophet, the prophet himself. The New Testament and
Christian tradition, however, have seen a fulfillment of these prophecies in Jesus Christ.” The Servant
is different. The Servant begins each day by listening to what God has to say and thus is able to face
whatever challenge comes along. The people will be tempted to go their own way…opponents in high
places will use all means possible to shame and intimidate the Servant. This doesn’t work because the
Servant relies on God and God’s plan. Do I do the same? Do I feel that I am owed something and a
comfortable life is to be expected? Actually violent reactions come in response to Isaiah’s words until
finally he is killed by the very ones he prophesied. (Isaiah 53: 8)
Paul is writing to the Philippian community while he was in prison. Earlier Paul had praised them
because of all their help and encouragement. Scholars say that today’s passage is more than likely an
early Christian hymn seeing Jesus’ humiliation and then His exaltation on the cross leading to His
Resurrection. Although Jesus is God’s Son, He accepted the total humility to walk among us as one of
us proving His total love by His cruel death. And so His name is ‘above all names’. Everyone should
show total gratitude and everyone should constantly praise God for proving His love and share this
Good News to all.
In Church today we are greeted with the blessing of the Palm and hear the Gospel describing this event:
Luke 19: 28-40. If we listened carefully we did not hear the mention of the palms being waved by the
people…this is only in Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts. Luke describes “As He rode along, the people
were spreading their cloaks on the road…” Luke was constantly describing the poor and their acceptance of
Jesus and the enthusiasm to come for healing and to listen to His every word. Here they prove
something extraordinary: they placed their most valuable and important possession in front of Jesus and
the donkey that brought Jesus through Jerusalem. A cloak was the most expensive piece of clothing a
person owned. It was constantly being mended and never discarded. The very poor used it for warmth,
to protect them from the elements and for cover during the cold nights. In this act the poorest of the
poor were giving ‘everything they owned’ to show their love and acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and
Messiah. Where have I emptied myself for Jesus? What prize possession do I have that is more
important to me than my devotion and following of Jesus’ way?
The second Gospel story today is the suffering and death of Jesus. At the beginning we see the apostles
as being obedient, dedicated and committed to Jesus. This will change radically. We see Jesus in a
totally different light: He is not thinking of Himself, He never did, but now as always He is concerned
about others. Fr. Paul Schmidt in Sunday Homily Helps describes Jesus this way:
A. “At the Last Supper, He reaches out to the disciples, who had argued about who is the greatest. He
tells them this attitude is not to be theirs.” Where am I ‘too big for my britches?'
B. “He reaches out to Peter, saying He has prayed for him before the denial; Jesus fixes His eyes on
Peter after the denial.” Jesus said He is constantly praying for me too. Do I acknowledge this;
believe this?
C. “He warns Judas before the betrayal and later responds as a hurt friend to him at the moment of
betrayal, asking ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’ ‘ Where do I betray Jesus?
Why?
D. “Jesus comforts the women weeping at the side of the road to Calvary.” Jesus cares for me each
time when I’m hurting.
E. “He asks His Father to forgive those who are nailing Him to the cross.” I look at the countless
times He forgives me. My response?
F. “He promises paradise to the criminal crucified at His side”. Jesus promised heaven to me. Why
am I hesitant to believe this?
G. “This is how Jesus Christ triumphed over sin and death. He gave Himself in love. For this reason
God gave Him a name above every other name.” Am I loving as Jesus showed me? What is
holding me back? Do I ask for help in this?
So I reflect on:
• Every Eucharist is Holy Week in miniature: we eat the saving bread and drink the holy cup and
proclaim His death until He comes into us. Do I celebrate each Eucharist in this manner? Am I
preparing for the Eucharist beforehand and grateful afterward?
• Do I pray and believe that ’I need a power greater than myself to save me?’
• What crosses will I be carrying this week as Jesus accepted His? Why am I reluctant with these
crosses or why am I complaining?
• What part of Luke’s two gospels today touches me most?
• How has my Lent prepared me to enter into Holy Week? What can I do now to prepare for this
holiest of weeks?
Sacred Space 2019 states:
“I choose a moment or a scene from this long story of Jesus’ Passion, and I stay with Jesus. I tell how I feel
about what is happening. I try to comfort Him.
Lord Jesus, show me how to be present to people who are suffering—people I know who are being persecuted or
mistreated or misunderstood and ostracized,”

April 7, 2019

5th Sunday of Lent C
Isaiah 43: 16-21; Philippians 3; 8-14; John 8: 1-11
What is sin? We know all about sin because each person is a sinner; NO matter, how hard we try and no
matter how much we are working on our holiness. “Sin is an offense against God” states the Catechism
of the Catholic Church. It adds, “Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from
it.” I like Paul’s description in Romans 7: 14-15, 19: “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold
into slavery to sin. What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate…For I do not
do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” Each person falls into this category.
Now what is God best at? His Mercy! 1 John 1: 8-10: “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us
from every wrongdoing. If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
Today’s readings on this Sunday before Palm Sunday and Holy Week focus on God’s mercy and
forgiveness. God’s mercy is not a ‘pointing of the finger’ and ‘beating us down’ and ‘berating us’ but it
seeks to heal what has been broken by our sin and restore all to be in harmony with God’s plan. Clifford
Hennings, OFM states it beautifully; “God, therefore, finds new ways to restore His people, with the aim
that they once again praise Him and live in accordance with the law of life.”
Can I look at sin as a way to draw closer to God’s help and love? Do I realize that God is always loving
me, even when I’m not loving myself? We turn now to the readings.
Isaiah constantly was trying to maneuver kings and people in the direction of God. They concentrated
on investing their lives in earthy wants and desires and rely on these for their comfort and security. The
result was obvious: the kingdom collapsed and was taken over by the Babylonian Empire. Today Isaiah
is reminding the people on how God delivered Israel from their bondage in Egypt. The walking through
the sea into freedom brings healing to a defeated people. They watched as the most powerful of the
world’s armies disappeared into the waters. Today Isaiah is telling the people that again God is
delivering His people even more dramatically. Even though their past failures have not shattered the
bonds with God, they are shown God’s powerful and eternal mercy and everlasting love. That is what
God is about: Love. Am I grateful for the countless showings of His love each day in my life?
Paul is looking at his life and sharing with the Philippians that all his accomplishments and accruing of
wealth is “rubbish”. Scripture scholars say that the word ‘rubbish’ is a Greek word that can be more
graphically translated as ‘dung’. This imagery is so striking showing that Paul sees earthly wealth, fame
and accomplishments — power possessions, pleasure, prestige in today’s verbiage—are useless, a total
waste. Paul is urging his readers and each person to draw closer to what lies ahead, realizing that heaven
is our home. Knowing that the values of heaven are concentrated on faith, hope, charity which show
themselves in caring, forgiveness, compassion, going out of our way to bring love to the hurting and
needy in our lives. These are the goal standards. Am I living in this way with heaven as my goal?
Next we turn to one of the most popular stories found in the New Testament, the woman caught in
adultery. Why is it so popular? Because we can see ourselves condemned, with no leg to stand on,
realizing that ‘our sin’ just can’t be forgiven. Yet what does God do—FORGIVES TOTALLY, God’s
love is supreme!
It is important to see that the story is located in the temple area thus attracting a large amount of people.
Again the scribes and pharisees, the leaders who felt they were totally morally right and justifiable, are
out to trap Jesus and make Him look like a phony in front of the people. They claimed that the woman
was caught in the act of adultery. They claimed that the penalty Moses required was stoning to death.
BUT they’d not brought witnesses which was required by law AND they failed to indicate that BOTH
the man and woman engaged in adultery were to be condemned. Jesus did not give a verbal reply, He
simply wrote on the ground. Jesus sees through their phoniness. What Jesus wrote is not important, His
gesture says so much more. Whoever is without sin can throw the first stone. They all left. Then Jesus
says such an important live: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?…No one, sir…Neither do
I condemn you . Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
Clifford Hennings, OFM in Sunday Homily Helps shares what the woman in adultery teaches us:
“a) Jesus shows no sign that He is interested in the games being played by the scribes. His
concern is the same as God’s: to mend what is broken by sin.
b) Jesus does not deny the woman’s sin; instead He invites all those gathered to consider their
own sinfulness. What good may come of this woman’s death?
c) God does not desire punishment, but restoration. Not only is the life of the woman spared,
but she is invited into an even greater life. Jesus’ intention is made clear in His parting words to
her: ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.
d) This act of mercy demonstrates God’s divine justice, for it seeks to bring life and healing, for
that is precisely God’s will.”
So I reflect on:
• What helps me to trust in God’s mercy and abandon sinful memories?
• When have I tried to focus on another’s wrongdoing to avoid looking at my own?
I Look At My Recent Sin And Learn From It:
- What need did I have that wasn’t being fulfilled?
- Was I choosing this ‘sin’ as an alternative because it would make me ‘feel good’?
- Was I perhaps using this ‘sin’ because I wanted to get angry or was focusing my attention on a person
who did me in?
- Did I have a need for love…attention…affirmation…approval…and the people close to me OR those
I expected it from didn’t respond? Did I realize that I have to love myself to respond to my need?
- Do I look at how I feel and then ask God for what I need…then listen?
Sacred Space 2019 states: (went to year 2016)
“Where do I stand in this scene? Like the woman standing before her accusers? Like a silent sympathizer
hoping that something will happen to save her? Like the skulking male adulterer who got her into this trouble? Like
the bystanders already collecting the best stones with a view to killing? Like one of the elders who slinks away,
unable to cast the first stone? What goes through my head as Jesus is doodling in the sand?
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by a sense of our own guilt. The voices of accusation roar in our ears. Frozen
with fear, we wait for condemnation. Lord, like the woman in the reading, may we hear the damning voices fade
until there is only Your voice left, telling us to move on and sin no more