John 15: 18-21 If you belonged to the world...

"Religion causes war and hatred.  We should just get rid of it altogether. Ban it, outlaw it, make it illegal."  This is what I often hear from people who blame religion for wars.  Isn't it true though that there are other reasons like money, control of oil pipelines, trade routes, overpopulation, need for food, etc.?   

"How stupid can you be?  You're just being brainwashed.  These things that you're believing aren't true.  Who says there is a god?  Some guy who died thousands of years ago...and the joke is on you."  This is an example of something said by one co-worker to another, who was actually trying to keep her religion a secret until the instigator asked everyone in the office what religions they practiced. 

Persecutions happen every day, everywhere, to everyone.  Religious persecutions are sometimes the worst.  Even today there are groups who would deny the Holocaust.  More recently John Kerry, representing the US State Department (on March 17, 2016), condemned the genocide of Christians and other religious entities (Yazidis and Shi'a Muslims, etc.) by Daesch in Syria and other places. The work force can also contain its own form of religious persecutions, even if the religious faithful is not outward about their faith, it is still felt. 

Our faith no matter what religion we are is a part of us as unique individuals.  It colors our world.  It is our hope in our faith that drives us to God, and the life of the world to come.  Our world religious have coexisted for a very long time together.  Listening to each other we find that collectively they promote a moral way of life, a path to peace, a path to heaven.  We are reminded in the Gospel today:

"If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you."

No matter how terrible the news on tv or the internet, let us try to remember we are ambassadors of Christ.  May we pray for our enemies, and be slow to anger.  May our gaze be always cast to our hearts to that divine tabernacle of our souls where God beckons us to sit at his knee during our persecutions, and let his love and compassion be our comfort.  Let us also take our persecutions and offer them as a sacrifice for those in need so that we may better imitate Christ. (Lk 14:27 & 1Peter 2:19-22)

John 15:12-17 Love one another as I have loved you

"There is no greater love than this, to lay down one's life for a friend." 

There are so many images that come to mind when I reflect upon this one sentence.  I think of the stories that we read about people acting as heroes to save another's life, even at risk to their own.  Whether it is Wesley Autrey or Christopher Knafelc who jumped onto tracks to save someone; or Arthur Bloom who uses music to help injured soldiers readjust and take back their lives; and there are so many thousands of examples of men, women, and children who go out of their way to save others at personal sacrifice.  They have laid down their lives for loved ones and friends. It is profound to think about these people that we see in the news, and then to read today's Gospel reading.

Jesus laid down his life for us at great personal sacrifice because he loved us, because it was the right thing to do, because it was the Father's will.  Jesus loves us.  He asks us to follow his commands to love God and love each other, and in doing so, we are his friends and have all the love, mercy and compassion that go with that.  If  we can do nothing else in our day, let us at least smile at a stranger.

"This I command you: love one another."

John 15: 9-11 Keep in my love

As a communication tool the social media isn’t bad, but it also highlights that human need for love and acceptance.  It is what many of us in this life are searching for.  Our families and friends hold that key to love and acceptance, yes.  However, our relationships prepare us for that great relationship between us and our God, who is love, compassion and mercy.  Jesus reminds us, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.”  That love is so complete and encompassing.  If we think of those greatest joys and times that we were filled with deep love for others around us…how they would pale in comparison and almost seem like suffering to what we receive from our Heavenly Father through Christ. 

How do we remain in Christ’s love?  He tells us, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” What are his commands?  Put simply, love God with all your heart, mind, and soul.  Secondly, love your neighbor as God has loved you. 

John 15:1-8 I am the true vine.

It is still spring. In the winter the fruit trees and grapes were trimmed.  Now they are laden with young fresh fruit that will hopefully grow and mature into sweet fruit when fully ripened.  Even from now until then there are so many things that can happen.  If there is a shortage of water, the fruit will wither.  Without netting the birds will come down and eat parts of it destroying the fruit by causing it to rot on the vine or tree.  There are so many things. 

In today's Gospel Jesus reminds us that he is the true vine.  His Father is the vine grower who prunes us so that we as the branches may produce more abundant fruit.  As the vine, Jesus provides us with the nutrients, that nourishment that we need, and the life giving water that pours forth into the fruit that we produce.  The Father will protect us just as a good vine grower does, walking beside us, sitting with us, talking to us as we grow, and watching how our fruit takes shape to benefit others because of his tender care, and yet we too are strengthened by him.  God is good!  All the time!

John 14:27-31 If you loved me...

At a scripture study group last night we were discussing this coming Sunday's Gospel.  A couple of lines from today's reading and Sunday's overlap.  The one that really struck most of us was this: 

"If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I."

 It is powerful on so many levels.  We think we love, but is there an even greater love that we have not yet experienced?  How is the Father greater than the Son?  Why should we rejoice when someone we love goes away from us? 

How would you answer these questions?  We came up with several ways to understand them better, usually with comparisons or scenarios from our own lives.  More than anything, we agreed that if in God there is a greater kind of love and joy that we can only tangibly grasp, than we can't wait.

Mark 16:15-20 Feast of St. Mark

As Author of the 2^nd Gospel, he sas sometimes called John, or John Mark.  His mother, Mary, owned a house in Jerusalem.  Some scholars believe that was the place where the dinner of Holy Thursday took place, when Christ initiated the Blessed Sacrament and the Holy Spirit descended upon them.  It was this house where Mark lived that was described in Acts of the Apostles that the Christians assembled during the persecutions of Herod Agrippa.  It was to his house that Peter came when he was miraculously released from prison.

It is believed that Peter himself baptized Mark, whom he referred to as his spiritual son.  Mark was Paul’s companion when Paul went to Antioch and Perga on Paul’s first missionary voyage. It is believed that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas, with whom he travelled to Cypress to preach while Paul and Silas went on Paul’s 2^nd missionary journey.  When Paul was imprisoned in Rome, it was Mark, Paul writes in the letter to the Colossians, who was his companion and comfort.  In letters from Peter, he tacked into them a hello from Mark to the Jewish Christians in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.  Mark was that well known throughout the area.

In Christian literature and art, St. Mark is often depicted as a lion, or esp. a winged lion, also the symbol of the city of Venice.  In his Gospels, Mark aimed to show the divinity of Christ in a way similar to how Peter argued.  Today we read from the Gospel of Mark.  We hear the gloriousness of Christ:

"In my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

"The Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Mark encourages us to faith as strong and powerful as a lion.  Truly he tells us, Jesus is the Christ, God made manifest. Praise be to God, Alleluia!

John 13:13-33A, 34-35 Love One Another

This is our last week of the Easter season.  We are reminded again what the season is about, just like our Creed professes:  The triumphal resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, death and descent into hell, whereupon he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven. 

Jesus is glorified in all this.  Before he departs upon his journey to the cross (where the story is taken just as Judas departs to fetch the soldiers), he reiterates his new command:  Love one another.

This is not easy.  It involves genuine forgiveness and unconditional love.  It is attainable through practice and sacrifice.  To be his disciples, we are called to do this, to love one another as he has loved us.

John 14:7-14 Whomever has seen me has seen the Father.

In today's Gospel, there is a line, "Show us the Father."  It reminds me of when people say, "Show me the money!"  There is so much doubt and perhaps annoyance in it.  Jesus is challenging Philip and us to look at the entire situation differently than originally perceived.  Philip followed Jesus for a long time, Jesus tells us, but still Jesus is shaking his head at him and asking how Philip could still not know him. 

We live sometimes in the moment, that words spoken seem more important than the actions or rhythmic pattern of one's life, but Jesus is arresting Philip's attention, and basically saying, hey, look deeper into what you know is true, not because I said it, but because I have said it and lived it;  You know that it isn't me, but the one who sent me who is beckoning to you to come follow me to him. 

"The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own."  Just as when we proclaim Jesus's words, we are in him and him in us because through our imitation of him, we have become an extention of him, so too are his word's the Father's and so the Father is in him and he in the Father because he is an extention of the Father.  So really, when we do good works, and proclaim the Kingdom, we are an extention of the Father through Christ, and we know the Father is with us.  This is what Jesus explains to Philip.  Jesus says that he will help Philip with anything because of that, just as he will help us.     

John 14:1-16 I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

A friend became a Benedictine monk.  He was given the comfort and assurance of knowing that he would always have a place at the monastery and that when the time comes for him to die, he will be buried in its cemetery, and that his soul will be perpetually prayed for.  It took a leap of faith for him to leave the comforts of the world, but at the same time he finds great comfort of knowing just as much comfort if not greater peace of mind comes to him for he knows that the monks are following God's Way as much as they can; and that he was called, and given a dwelling within the monastery mimics what will come in the eternal life when Jesus says, "I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be."

There is a place in heaven for everyone.  We are each called in our different vocations in our lives to the Father.  Because we are not like St. Teresa or a mystic like Padre Pio doesn't condemn us, just makes us called in a different way.  God loves you.  He calls us to himself through Christ.

John 13:16-20 Jesus Christ, You Are the Faithful Witness

Although this is how the truth of something is today in our world ascertained for the courts by attorneys seeking the truth, it is not unlike today’s story of St. Paul seeking the truth and presenting it to those assembled at the temple.  Paul had formerly been a Pharisee, which meant that he was an expert in the law, and knew how to draw truth out of statements and testimonies to present to the people for their edification.  In today’s story he calls forth the great leaders of the Jewish people and their prophets, especially John the Baptist who was still in recent memory, to give testimony that “God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.”  The truth of Christ has spread to all the known world, and Paul, the apostle whom Christ personally called after the others, gives testimony to this Truth.

In today’s Gospel Jesus promises to show us the truth that he is “I Am” through events that would fulfill the scripture about him.  He is leading us to know that he is not only the Way to salvation, but the Truth.  He is unified with the Father in this.  He assures us that those of us who accept him, accept our Father in Heaven for he says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  We are not to try to corrupt the Truth, for the Truth cannot be corrupted.  Christ Jesus is the faithful witness to that.  We are each called to share in that communion as witnesses today throughout words and our actions, which mark us as Christians, and our fidelity to the Truth.

John 12:44-50 I am the Light of the World

Today's reading is a small section of a larger portion of what Jesus is saying.  Isolated like this, we start to ask ourselves, when are the times that I might not obey the Lord, even though I have heard his message?  Do I still fight with my spouse?  Do I not perform my best at work because I hate my job?  Do I waste my time in my retirement?  These are questions that we should ask ourselves.  Every one of us is human.  Jesus understands that because although he is divine, he is also fully human.  Let us use his words today as a challenge to stay on the path that leads to salvation through him.  Let us allow ourselves to see Christ as the Light we need in this often dark, cold, and self-centered world.  Let us ask ourselves too, what can I do today to bring a little of his light to those around me?

John 10: 22-30 You Do Not Believe Because You're Not My Sheep

In today's reading we hear that it was winter and the Feast of the Dedication, that is Hanukkah.  This Jewish feast day is also known as the Festival of Lights.  The story behind it comes from the Book of Maccabees where the tale of how Judah Maccabee raised a fierce and army loyal to God (the army would also be known as the Maccabees) against the Greco-Syrian king who banned Jewish religious practices and defiled the Temple of Jerusalem.  When the Maccabees were victorious over the oppression, the Temple was cleansed, purified, and re-Dedicated to God.  When they rededicated the temple, there was only enough oil for the sanctuary lamp for one night, the rest having been defiled.  Through a miracle the oil lasted for eight days.  That is why Hanukkah lasts eight days with one candle being lit each night.  As a Jew Jesus would have participated in the Feast of the Dedication. 

As a Christian follower, we can ask ourselves what is the parallel between the Jewish celebration and our own this Easter season.  Very clearly the authorities and other leaders are demanding to know if Jesus is the Messiah.  It could not have been easy for Jesus' followers.  However, their courage and stamina against the hardships caused by people who doubted Jesus and were not his followers is an echo of that of the Maccabees.  What was true for the followers of Christ then is true now as we wage battle against threats against Christians whether we are in Syria, Pakistan, or laws against what we believe in other countries around the world.  What Christian has not been persecuted for our faith?  We stand firm and courageous because Christ is our savior and we are his flock.  Like the eternal light of the sanctuary lamp, Christ stands with us incarnate in human history as a Light to the World: God made manifest.  The Light of the World came to give us the light of life. 

John 10:1-10 You must enter through the gate

It is amazing that all it takes if faith in Christ to enter through the gates of Heaven.  God has blessed those who are faithful, and makes them holy, and so they can enter through the gate.  Jesus gives us a parable about entering into the sheepfold through the gate.  Those who try to climb over are like robbers.  They have not had the needed conversion of heart and soul that comes through Christ: the repentance and salvation that he preached, that the Church preaches now at his command. 

There is a story, The Dangerous Journey, a retelling of Pilgrim's Progress written for children, that emphasizes how difficult the life of a Christian, the temptations and challenges that befall us on our path.  The main character, Christian, has several friends on his journey that help him.  Toward the end of his journey he comes across a fellow sojourner who has crossed the field and climbed a fence and walks with Christian the rest of the way to the castle.  When they reach it, the man is not allowed in because he came as a deceptive untrustworthy stranger across the field and over the wall.  Christian's heart has been true though and though he's been tempted and strayed from the path, he was always found the right path again that led him to Kingdom, to the gate, to the place of his salvation.  And it is his example that will lead the other members of his family.  Jesus is trying to impart this to us.  Life can and will be difficult, but the only way to the Kingdom is through him.  He is our shepherd, and so too are those he has appointed in his place: our pope, our cardinals, our bishops, our priests, and our deacons.  Theirs is to help us follow the course so that we come to the gate not as strangers, but as friends and brothers and sisters of Christ. 

John 10:27-30 No One Can Take Away My Sheep from Me

Today's Gospel is short and succinct.   No one can take away from God those who belong to God.  Christ Jesus also reiterates to relationship between the Father and the Son, they are one, just as the Holy Spirit and the Father are one, and the Holy Spirit and the Son are one.  These are two powerful thoughts in today's reading.  They should be reflected upon.

A young man preparing for Confirmation was speaking with me and asked, "If God loves us so much, why do we suffer?"  He pulled out the example from the book of Job, where God and the Devil are speaking, and God allows the Devil to harm first the prosperity of Job, then Job's family, then Job himself.  "Is there a point that God was trying to make?" I asked.  The young man was quiet for a few minutes.  "Well, he was proving that no matter what those who love Him won't lose faith in him, no matter how bad things get."  "Okay, If that is the case, what reward does God promise those who remain in him?"  "God rewards them abundantly and even more than they had before, either in this life or the next."  "Can you think of Saints who went through something similar?"  "Oh yeah," the young man said, "They are our modern day Jobs.  They definitely get rewards in Heaven.  I see your point." 

God loves us, and loves us abundantly.

John 6:60-69 Looking into the heart of the betrayer

As an instructor it is easy to discern which students understand, which struggle, and which are tuned out.  Motivations can also easily be ascertained.  In today's readings Jesus looks at his disciples.  He knows which of them are faithful and which will betray him.  That had to be so difficult to persevere just for the sake of those who were faithful, simply because it was the right thing to do.

Sometimes we forget about Jesus' humanity and think of him as this great redeemer who came down from heaven.  He was fully human like the rest of us and divine.  In his humanity he felt sadness, despair, loneliness and so on.  How hard it must have been to face Judas knowing what would happen, always hoping that maybe he would change deep within his heart as was in his free will. 

Christ came to be in the world to save the world.  As Peter reminds us, Christ Jesus had the words of eternal life.  Are we open to the Father calling us closer to him in the salvation mystery?  Will we follow Christ?

John 6:52-59 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall live

As a child my siblings and I were always curious about vampire and zombie movies.  There was always something so very wrong with sub human creatures drinking human blood, or eating their brains that made us laugh.  We knew it was fiction.  As an adult I was briefly amused and annoyed when a friend learned that I was a Catholic and asked how could I be?--I was such a nice person, but did how could I partake in human sacrifice every Sunday and eat them?  It was a clear sign that our Church needs to do more in educating our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who belong to other churches. 

In today's Gospel the Jews are taken aback asking themselves, "How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"  It is as shocking to them as it was to my friend.  What does Jesus mean?

Think back to the wedding feast at Cana.  That is a precursor to the Heavenly banquet.  We are to be nourished and sustained in our faith.  All we need to do is believe.  The Son came down from Heaven like the manna in the desert.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, " From the beginning Jesus associated his disciples  with his own life, revealed in the mystery of the kingdom to them, and gave them a share in his mission, joy, and sufferings." (CCC 787)  In joining with him, we come into communion with him, an ecclesiological communion which mimics that of the Father and Holy Spirit to the Son.  We share in his resurrection.  His flesh is our flesh, his blood our blood.  We, the Church,  are his body and he is our head.  At the Last Supper he gave us himself through the grace of transubstantiation whereby the substance of the bread was changed to Him while the outer veil remained like bread, and the same with the wine, that substance became him, for us to consume, to be nourished, not just physically, but spiritually with the grace that is God, inebriated with his Divine love and mercy. 

John 6:44-51 Come to Me

In today's first reading, God the Father called this eunuch to himself, and God the Holy Spirit sought to impart the teachings of the Son so that that this man, through Philip, might come to be saved through him. 

Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him up on the last day…They shall all be taught by God.  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me…Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”  Jesus further reminds us, “I am the bread of life…and the bread that I give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” 

St. Tomas a Kempis reminds us, “These are your words, O Christ, the everlasting Truth.  Because they are yours and true, they are all thankfully and faithfully received by me.  They are yours and you have pronounced them; and they are mine also because you have spoken them for my salvation.”  (Imitation of Christ: Book 3, Ch 1 On Receiving Holy Communion)  Our Lord is the bread of heaven, come to nourish us, heal us, and lead us out of the slavery of sin, to the freedom of salvation in him, Christ the Lord.  St. Paul reminds us, “Christ died for all: that those who live may live no longer in themselves, but for him, who died for all and is risen, alleluia.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)     

John 6:35-40 Trustful Surrender

There are times when life gets hard.  There are days when we just seem to have bad luck after bad luck.  Sometimes we just want to cry, but harden ourselves against the world by putting up walls.  Jesus reminds us today that we can trust in him.  He is from the Father, and the Father gives him all that he has promised, just like Christ gives us all that he has promised. 

He is offering us that opportunity to be nourished, caressed, comforted; we just need to trust and surrender ourselves to him to be healed.

John 6:30-35 I Am the Bread of Life

In the Gospel today the crowds test Jesus and ask for veracity that he is who he says that he is by giving them a sign.  This is not unusual.  Throughout the Old Testament prophets tested to make sure that it was truly God that was speaking to them.  In the New Testament even Mary asks for a sign from the angel to know for certain that her pregnancy and child were ordained from God.  In Mary's case she was told that her ancient cousin, Elizabeth, was expecting and in her sixth month, so that Mary could see if it was true for herself, and she did go, and learn the truth that this was indeed for both her and her cousin, a miracle wrought from God.

So today, the crowds press closer to Jesus awaiting that sign, that hope to be fulfilled.  He responds, "I am the bread of life."  He is here, the Word of God, to nourish us daily with that bread that is him, that takes away our sins and leads us to eternal life.  How exciting for them!  for us!--that the Lord has come and the wedding banquet is set and ready for us to partake in it.  This is the gift of salvation through the Resurrection that we continue to celebrate this Easter season.

John 6:22-29 St. Stephen and Witnessing the Faith

Religious faith is a confidence or trust in God.  It is part of our holy covenant with him that obliges us to obedience, loyalty and faithfulness because of his love for us.  In that covenant he makes us his holy peoples.  Our salvation through the cross and Resurrection of Christ brings us new life because of God’s enduring love and mercy for us.  We turn and can firmly say, Jesus I trust in you.

St. Stephen is a witness in our first reading to our shared faith.  He is our brother in Christ.  He bears witness to the Resurrection and faith in God.  Although the simpler path would be to deny God, to not incur the wrath of the Sanhedrin, Stephen upholds the Truth.

In the Gospel Jesus reminds us that we ought to “not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”  In other words, be nourished with heavenly food that sustains and nourishes you, and will lead you to everlasting life.  The only things we need to do is believe in him, that is Jesus Christ, whom the Father sends.

John 21:1-19 Do you love me?

In today's Gospel the Apostles are fishing, catching nothing.  Easter is a time of joy and new beginnings in the Light of the Resurrected Christ.  As the dawn breaks, they see Christ Jesus upon the shore.  Recall that he had summoned them to be fishers of men in a similar way before the crucifixion.  Again he calls them to be fishers of men, in a sense, by lowering their nets into the ride side of the boat.  Clement of Alexandria wrote about Jesus in a hymn in his Pedagogues III,

"...Fisher of men,

you, their Savior:

from the sea of evil

you pull the pure fish,

out of the hostile storm

you draw them to the life of blessedness..."

We are the fish, while Peter and the Apostles represent the Church in relation to Christ.  They bring us to the shore bathed in light where Jesus is waiting.  That Christ breaks the bread with them in that first breakfast of the Resurrection assures us that he will continue to nourish us. 

Why does he do this?  Love.  He asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"  It is as if to undo those three times that Peter denied him.  At the same time, each time Peter says, I love you, it could be though of as saying it to each member of the Holy Trinity, with whom he is in communion with; and at the same time, he stands for us, as the rock on which our church is founded.  He answers for us, "Yes Lord, I love you."  My we continue loving the Lord with each moment of our lives.  Amen.

John 6:16-21

Sometimes we encounter great storms in our lives:  running late, missing the bus, being fired, death of a spouse or parent or child.  Perhaps we get so caught-up in that storm that we see nothing else.  Even in that, as today's Gospel reminds us, Jesus comes to us.  He comes across that angry stormy sea as if it were not there just to be near us.  Though it may be impossible to allow him into our hearts for everything that is going on, he is with us through the midst until we reach the stability of shore, and can walk with him side by side. 

May we not despair nor become despondent, but rather say within the recesses of our heart, "Jesus, I trust in you."

John 6:1-15 Loaves and Fishes

In this first reading we again have the Apostles and other disciples preaching.  Recall that the Sanhedrin was putting them on trial with the possibility of death.  The Apostles and disciples had therefore been in jail and mysteriously released, but we know it was due to heavenly visitors.  Gamaliel was a Doctor of the Law, head of an important rabbinic school, and member of the Sanhedrin.   In recognition of God’s intervention for the Jewish people throughout their covenant, Gamaliel recognizes that God may be present here too.  He argued that they Apostles should not be harmed saying, “have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.  For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.  But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”  That which is of human origin will ultimately parish, but that which is from God will endure.

Truth endures forever.  The Apostles, the martyrs, and we seek the Lord, our Truth, and our refuge, for the Lord is our Light and Our Salvation.  Did he not teach us about heavenly things?  Does he not feed us with what we need to nourish ourselves? 

In today’s Gospel Jesus sits with the others and the crowds.  These are the people who walked to where he is currently, which the Lord crossed the waters in a boat with the Apostles.  The crowds had followed him seeking relief from their pains, anxieties, and sicknesses. His words ease their pains, and his heavenly touch and presence cures their ills.  Asking Philip and Andrew if there is enough food for all, he is told no. 

It is springtime.  The Passover is near, and they are with the Lamb.  The loaves and fish are distributed and it is a miracle, everyone receives and an abundance remains.  This is true of the grace and blessings of this feast with the Lord, then and now.  The Lord invites those seeking him into his company and provides nourishment at his banquet, providing the food himself through the Spirit. 

It is the same way at Holy Communion when the Lord invites us to his table.  Every time we receive the Holy Eucharist the Lords blessings and abundant graces are poured out for us.  Christ Jesus is our Paschal lamb.  We are still within the Easter season celebrating his death and Resurrection.  Matthew tells us, “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” 

Christ came not only to nourish us with bread and wine, but to feed us with himself: that is the Word of God.  The loaves and fishes are a foreshadowing of what happens in the breaking of the bread at mass.  The Holy Eucharist is Christ himself under the species of bread and wine.  The receiving of the host during the Sacrament of Communion is the outward and visible sign of that inward and divine spiritual gift, which is God himself.  May we always love the Blessed Eucharist for what it is, and learn to love being with Christ, the Pascal Lamb and the newness of life which he gives us through his death and Resurrection.  Amen.

John 3:31-36

Earth and heaven.  They are as distinct from each other as night and day.  The earth is finite, limited.  The heavens on the other hand expand forever, encompass all things, touch all things, reach down to the earth and connect with it, hold it, and hold the possibility for life on the earth within it.  The same can be said of God and the way that he connects with the earth, in his infinite love and mercy.  Heaven is supreme because God is omnipotent. 

Our Gospel tells us, “The one who comes from above is above all.  The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.”  The Son came for us.  His origin was heaven itself.  He was given authority over all things.  The prophets testify to that as well.  Christ is the Divine Envoy, and his words are the words of God.  The total revelation of God is delivered by him because God does not want the Spirit to be limited in measure to the Word Incarnate, but poured forth so that we might receive the mercy of salvation and grace through Christ.  “The father loves the son and has given everything over to him.  Whomever believes in the son has eternal life.

John 3:16-21 Salvation not Judgement

In today's reading although Jesus is still with Nicodemus, our Gospel writer almost seems to be reflecting of Jesus's mission and purpose for clarification.  "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but have eternal life."  Jn 3:16 

The Son is co-equal to the Father as part of the Holy Trinity.  As the only-begotten Son, he is eternally loved.  So are we because of the Father loves us enough to send us his Son to die for us that we might have eternal life. 

There is nothing that can hold back God's love for us.  Even in our first reading for today God sends his angels to free the disciples of the Son so that they can continue to teach the multitudes about His infinite love and mercy. 

John 3:7b-15 Nicodemus

In today's Gospel Jesus speaks with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin who was convinced by the miracles of Christ Jesus, and that he was sent by God.  Jesus' message to Nicodemus was simple:  faith and Baptism are necessary for eternal life. 

Nicodemus is a respected, rich, and well learned man.  Jesus is gentle with his words explaining what he can in a manner that this man can understand and connect the dots within the faith that lives within him.  Jesus is leading him to everlasting life.

As a side note, this is this same Nicodemus who after Christ's death assisted at Jesus' burial (see John 19:39)

Luke 1:26-38 The Annunciation of the Lord

It seems off to have a Gospel reading about the Annunciation during the Easter Season.  Actually this reading should have been on Good Friday, but because of it falling on the Triduum, it is moved to the Easter season. 

This is a story of hope and deliverance, which echoes the Easter message.  Mary is our example of how we should each say yes to God's presence within us, to hold and foster him within us, and to share him with the world. 

The Gospel story is also a reminder of how sacred life is no matter how young, especially in this current culture of death.  Abortion always seems like it is being talked about, but it is still the killing of the innocent.  No matter what age, young or old, life should be seen as precious.  God chose to be made manifest in human form so that our sins and the death that came into being through evil could be undone so that we can have life.

John 20:19-31 Divine Mercy Sunday

"Peace be wish you," Jesus says as he appears to the disciples within the locked room.  He shows them his hands and side, proof of his death and of his Resurrection.  He says to them again, "Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I have sent you."  He breathed on them (the imparting of the Holy Spirit) and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

This is the Mercy of God.  Our Lord and Savior came to die for the salvation of mankind.  Through the power vested through him, those whom he specially appointed those that followed after him, whom we call priests, have this power of life or death within their grasp: the power to forgive sins and lead us to everlasting life, or to allow the person to retain the sins that belong to death.  They are sent out, as Christ Jesus tells us, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to heal us and bring us life.  We are called to meet Christ within them to be healed through that Merciful give of the Sacrament of Reconcilliation.  Let us welcome God's gift of Divine Love and Mercy at each opportunity, and spend time today giving thanks to our Merciful Lord.  Amen.

Mark 16:9-15 Go out into all the world

The mission of the Holy Catholic Church takes itself directly from Christ Jesus.  He always gathered to him those who needed healing, those who responded to his call, he taught them, then sent them out to others to share the Good News.  The first reading is from Acts of the Apostles: "Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus."  The Apostles and others were just like the vast majority of us.  Yet, they were called to their respective vocations, ministries, and missions that Christ assigned to them, just like we are. 

The others called to accompany Christ Jesus through his ministry were not just the Apostles, but the other disciples chosen to bear witness to the Kingdom, Christ's death, and Resurrection.  The Gospel tells us about Mary Magdalene, "...he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons."  He healed her and saved her.  How many of us have demons, real, imaginary, and those caused by mental trauma or disease, that plague us and hold us back.  Yet she was called just as we are.  What about the two on the road to Emmaus to whom he appeared in a different form?  They were just average guys trying to get on with their lives.  Yet, they too were summoned to bear witness to the Glory of the Resurrected Lord.  And yet these witnesses "returned and told the others; but they (the Apostles) did not believe them either."

Sometimes we are called to do things that we know are right, even though it is difficult, even though others will laugh at us and won't believe.  Doing what is right is sometimes very tough.  Yet in the end we will be judged not by others, but by Christ.  We will be vindicated for our righteousness and living in the Truth by him for we read in the Gospel, "the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them
and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised."  These first witnesses of the Resurrection were vindicated by God.  We are to all go forth and proclaim the Good News!  Alleluia!

John 21: 1-14 Have you caught anything to eat?

Yesterday I mentioned a little of Christ Jesus' humor.  Today in the Gospel, the Risen Christ stands upon the shore and calls out to a boat of adult male fishermen, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"  I wonder how annoyed they were at first, or if they thought this guy was crazy, especially when he next told them to throw their nets over the other side of the boat.   Here's the catch, they threw their nets on the right side of the boat like the guy on shore said, and they caught so many fish, they nearly couldn't haul it in.  That was when John recognized the Lord and dove into the deep water to be the first to reach Christ on the shore. 

Once all together, the Lord feeds and nourishes them for their trouble and exertions in reaching him when he called out to them.  That is the cool thing about the God, he is always the initiation, the first mover, whether as God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, and then he waits for us to respond, and join into a communion with him.  This Easter season, we have a Risen Lord encouraging us to repent and live do that we might live in him.  How are we responding to that call?