News - April 2022 RSS Feed

What inspiration can Christians today gain from the defiance of the disciples? They had been instructed by the Sanhedrin not to preach in the name of the risen Christ again. These fearful men, who only some days before, had fled and abandoned the Lord as he went to his death, now stand in defiance before the highest Jewish authority. Where did they get this courage? [Click here to read more}

Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti. The resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery of our faith. By his death and resurrection Christ our victorious king has destroyed death, and won life for all of humanity. This is why we have hope in our own bodily resurrection because Christ, the first fruit of all who have fallen asleep has conquered sin and death. The resurrection occurred to fulfill what had been written about the Christ, that it was necessary that he should suffer these things and so enter into His glory (Luke 24:26). Every weekend and on Solemnities we profess boldly that Christ “rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” It might seem easy for us, who are historically removed from the events we commemorated these past days to mouth the above words, but it was not so for the disciples of this itinerant preacher from Nazareth. Though the disciples came to faith in the resurrection and even gave their lives defending this faith, it was not without some initial difficulty. They had been privileged to see the empty tomb and angels who asked why they sought the living among the dead (Luke 24:5), yet they did not seemed convinced that Christ had risen as he said. [Click to read more]

Happy Easter! I get emotional whenever I watch Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” Although a famed depiction of the gory Passion of Jesus, I believe it no way compares to the actual suffering Jesus endured. The scene that comes to mind as I write this reflection was when Jesus, battered, bruised and shaking, embraces the wood of the cross. He does so for love of you and me. Thank you Jesus, even though I am most unworthy of it, you did it all for me. [Click to read more]

We are in the home stretch of the Lenten season, which ends before our celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. The church commemorates during this week, which we call “Holy Week” the paradox whose fruit would be the salvation of the world. The God of life stands in trial and is condemned to death; the Creator is judged by his own creatures; and the author of love meets with the hatred of those he came to save. Thank God, human hatred could not stop love from pouring itself freely. Before our Lord goes to his passion, he would leave us the gift of himself in the Eucharist and institute the priesthood of the New Covenant for the perpetuation in time of this great mystery. He, the master, would stoop to serve his brothers by washing their feet, and thence after command them to do likewise. This is the week when the God who made the universe sleeps in death, and the whole earth is shrouded in darkness. This is the week when Heaven is wedded to earth, and humanity is rescued from the grips of the devil, the deceiver, who has held humanity captive since the “happy fault, and necessary sin” of Adam. [Click to read more]

My heart overflows with joy writing this reflection. First, I am grateful for our recent parish mission. I was awed to see so many people attend and participate; we averaged about 80 - 90 people daily all four nights. Praise God! The speakers and witnesses were amazing; these were wounded people who made no fuss about their wounds, but acknowledged the healing power of Christ manifest in their lives. To my mind, the joy of life is not to have no wounds at all, because that is not possible in a world tainted by the woundedness inherited from our first parents. Rather, the joy of life is to know that although we go about with history of personal or collective wounds, we have been redeemed by Jesus. And he heals us daily if we let him. [Click to read more]