Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be in the middle of Jesus’ ministry as He was sharing His message. In some ways, it seems like it would be easy to follow Jesus and His teachings when you are able to witness all that He does and says. Today’s gospel indicates that following Jesus was not always easy even for those who had ready access to Him, and many disciples left Jesus to return to their former ways. As I reflect on today’s reading, I place myself in the scene and I imagine Jesus asking me, “Do you also want to leave?” I realize that Jesus and my faith are the foundation of who I am. “Master, to whom shall I go?”
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Do you have a dramatic conversion story? I don’t. And there have probably been times in my life when I was a little jealous of those who do. I was born into a Catholic family, was raised Catholic, and have remained Catholic. Not that I haven’t had moments of conversion and periods of doubt. But I didn’t have the kind of experience we hear about in today’s reading from Acts when Saul (later named Paul) on the road to Damascus was knocked down and blinded while hearing the voice of Jesus.
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus continues to emphasize what He has been explaining to the crowd and to His disciples in the Gospel readings this entire week: He is the Bread of Life. Those who followed Moses and who ate the manna in the wilderness all eventually died. Jesus informs His listeners that if they eat of the Bread of Life, i.e. if they eat Jesus, they will not die but have eternal life. Jesus explains that the bread of which He speaks is His flesh.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
Jesus says to us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” What blessed assurance from our Resurrected Lord to us today. I pray that each of us takes this truth to heart and lets it permeate our souls. When we receive the Bread of Life, we can know with certainty that his promises are true for us. Let yourself be comforted today by these words of life from Life himself. As we experience comfort, let us not become complacent. Our readings compel me to pray for the lost so that all people might know the Bread of Life, have their hunger and thirst quenched, and receive everlasting life. No one is lost beyond God’s grace, no one is too far gone to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles
Today in the midst of this Easter season we celebrate the feast of two of the twelve apostles – Philip and James. These apostles experienced Jesus first-hand; they lived alongside him. For us, living so many years after Christ, we might rightly envy their proximity to Jesus. But at the same time, we might also note that being close to Jesus did not always make things as easy for the apostles as we would assume.
Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
These 50 days of Easter feature Acts of the Apostles. Luke's sequel to his Gospel, Acts has been called “the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.” Indeed the ascending Jesus left us two things: the Spirit & the Church, both at the heart of Acts. Today is the setting just prior to the stoning of Stephen.
Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
Sandwiched in between two overtly Eucharistic sections of John’s Gospel—the multiplication of the loaves and the Bread of Life discourse—is the story we have in today’s gospel reading of Jesus walking on water. I have found myself wondering on multiple occasions: why? Why would Jesus walk on water? What was He trying to communicate? Aren’t there many other things that would’ve been better uses of His time? Was this a kind of David Blane or Houdini act meant to marvel the disciples?
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Today the church celebrates one of the great mystical saints, and doctors of the church, Catherine of Siena. She is one of my favorite saints–hence our first daughter’s middle name–because of her powerful influence on our church, her radical and, dare I say, stubborn obedience to her faith, and her passionate love for God. I want to reflect a bit on what I’ve learned from and about Catherine over the years since I first encountered her most well-known writing, The Dialogue, some 12 years ago. Additionally, in light of her memorial today, there are two quotes that struck me as I prayed with the readings:
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
“We must obey God rather than men.” That’s a big statement coming to us from Acts.
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
God so loved [fill in your name] that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone (that includes you!) who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Let that glorious truth permeate you and resound in your soul, heart, mind, and even your body today. St John tells us, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son . . .” It’s important to stop and let that reality sink in. “The world” includes you, it includes me! We are among the SO loved children of God. Today, on this Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter, let us look upon our Risen Savior, the glorified Son of God, and behold the gaze of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
Today’s first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. It is the account of the church’s first known martyr, St. Stephen. This also happens to be one of my favorite passages from Scripture to teach. I use it to talk about what was so radical about Christianity. Stephen is being persecuted for his Christian faith, and overseeing the whole thing is none other than St. Paul, called Saul before his conversion on the road to Damascus. Refusing to renounce Christ, Stephen says to his persecutors that although they are observant Jews, they remain “uncircumcised in heart and ears.” He is implying that they have not been open to God’s new work in Jesus Christ.
Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Ask people what their favorite Gospel is and you'll get a variety of responses, influenced by what that particular Gospel has that the other Gospels don't.
Saturday in the Octave of Easter
All of us our called to be disciples of Jesus, but in many ways I often feel like I flounder in trying to live out this call. Today’s readings give me hope, since we see that Jesus’ companions (His apostles) were ordinary people who had times of doubt and struggle. Despite their weakness, Jesus chooses them to go forth and preach the Good News. We are called to do the same.
Friday in the Octave of Easter
Here we are near the end of the first week of Easter. Most of us are back to work and school (or returning soon), and our “ordinary” lives. There may still be some Easter candy, baskets, and flowers in the house, maybe some leftover ham still in the refrigerator, but we’re returning to what we ordinarily do on a day-to-day basis. Today’s gospel passage (John 21:1-14) reminds me of this as we hear of Simon Peter, after all that he and the others have witnessed and been through, saying, “I am going fishing.” And six of the other disciples that were with him, decide to come along too.
Thursday in the Octave of Easter
Alleluia! And happy Easter! Today we celebrate the fifth day in the Octave of Easter. Like all other days in the Octave, today is a solemnity, the highest feast of the Church. But of course, most of our country has already left Easter far behind. And most likely, we too have been back to work this week – the daily grind of everyday life.
Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
Last week I offered that you never know when the Lord Jesus himself will show up at your door or present himself to you unexpectedly, asking you to offer him radical hospitality. As we walk the Emmaus Road today with our Lord, let us sharpen our vision to recognize Christ’s presence within us and all around us. As Easter people, freed from the cloudiness of sin and death, we truly have a clear new lens through which to look at life. May we view the world today through Resurrection eyes and may our hearts and lives continue to remain wide open to receiving and hosting Jesus well and with great joy during this Easter season.
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
On this Tuesday in the Octave of Easter, we get to extend the celebration of Easter Sunday, until the end of the Octave next Sunday. Our celebration of Easter joy will continue, however, throughout the Easter season, and should remain in our hearts every moment of our lives, throughout all liturgical seasons, even in Lent. Today’s readings are powerful reflections on this Easter joy. In the Gospel reading for today, from St. John’s Gospel, we encounter the risen Lord with Mary Magdalene at the tomb. Mary Magdalene, the first to see the risen Lord, is known in Catholic tradition as the Apostle to the Apostles, since she was among the women who first brought the wonderful joyous news of Jesus’ resurrection to His apostles. This reading powerfully demonstrates the Easter joy of Christ’s resurrection. After the horrific and brutal death of Jesus on the cross, on Good Friday, Jesus has conquered death once and for all. Jesus has been raised from the dead.
Monday in the Octave of Easter
I've always preferred the original conclusion of Mark's Gospel, the ending as the author intended. “Very early when the sun had arise, on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb,” Mark 16:1.
Holy Saturday At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter
Once the Good Friday liturgy is completed, the next liturgical celebration is the Easter vigil celebration on Holy Saturday after sunset. The Church keeps all day Holy Saturday aside to reflect upon the mystery of Christ’s death. The Church, and indeed the whole earth maintain a deep silence. The Son of God sleeps within the earth. He enters the nether world to bring salvation to those of God’s righteous who stand in need of God’s once and for all redemption. The power of the redeeming death of Jesus must reach every corner of God’s creation. The gospels give us some information about the events that took place between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The gospel of John tells us that two disciples of Jesus, Joseph and Arimathea and Nicodemus helped with the burial rituals. Joseph of Arimathea had all along followed Jesus “secretly” for fear of the Jews (Jn 19:38). Nicodemus, a Pharisee, had “at night” come to Jesus very early in his ministry to inquire from Jesus about be saved (Jn 3:1). By the end of the gospel, both these men have come out into the open. Joseph petitioned Pilate and helped remove Jesus’ body from the cross. Nicodemus brought a hundred pounds of aloes and myrrh and helped with Jesus’ burial. Matthew, Mark and Luke all mention that Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and some other women were also present at the burial. These men and women stay close to Jesus in his darkest moment.
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
When I was in college, I was fortunate to be taught how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Church. Through the years, I garnered a deep appreciation for the meditative dialogue and encounter with scripture found in the practice. One of my favorite prayers is the psalm found in night prayer which we hear a version of today:
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
- I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Though we read the passion from the gospel of John today, the psalm response is drawn from Luke’s gospel using the final words of Christ before he breathed his last: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46). We are shown the ultimate example of obedience, of trust in God. “Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). We can trust in the Father; surrender ourselves to the will of God. This, of course, is not an easy task, especially considering the egocentric culture that bears down around us. However, every morning, we awake to a new day, a new opportunity to take up our cross(es) and follow Christ. With Jesus, we are not alone, we will never be abandoned. Each moment of struggle, frustration, anguish, pain, and likewise every experience of joy, happiness, and peace is an invitation to call upon the name of Jesus.
On this day, the glory of our good God is found on the cross. The image of the crucified Christ–though it be stark, grim, grotesque, horrifying– is that of God’s great love. We are loved unconditionally. Jesus shows us the way to the Father. He grants us freedom from our sins and a path to everlasting life. Do we believe in the crucifixion and trust in this outpouring of grace? Do we have faith in blood and water which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us?
We stand at the foot of the cross with Mary and the beloved disciple, called to proclaim the good news. We know what is to come; we live for the hope of the resurrection. Yet, today let us be present to the darkness and grief; sit with the pain and confusion; reflect on suffering in our own lives and in that of the crucified Christ. On this Good Friday, may we revel in appreciation at the ransom that was paid by our Lord and savior; at his obedience unto death, even death on a cross.
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you
For by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world. Amen.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer