Good Shepherd Sunday - 2021

FROM THE OFFICE OF READINGS - SECOND READING From a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope (c. 540 - 604) Christ the Good Shepherd: I am the good shepherd. I know my own – by which I mean, I love them – and my own know me. In plain words: those who love me are willing to follow me, for anyone who does not love the truth has not yet come to know it. My dear brethren, you have heard the test we pastors have to undergo. Turn now to consider how these words of our Lord imply a test for yourselves also. Ask yourselves whether you belong to his flock, whether you know him, whether the light of his truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know him, but by love; not by mere conviction, but by action. John the evangelist is my authority for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God without keeping his commandments is a liar. Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: As the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. Clearly he means that laying down his life for his sheep gives evidence of his knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of him. In other words, by the love with which he dies for his sheep he shows how greatly he loves his Father.  Again he says: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them; they follow me, and I give them eternal life. Shortly before this he had declared: If anyone enters the sheepfold through me he shall be saved; he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.  1.       He will enter into a life of faith; 2.       from faith he will go out to vision, 3.       from belief to contemplation, and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.  So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground where all who follow him in simplicity of heart will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of heaven. There the elect look upon the face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life for ever more.  Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith, and long eagerly for what heaven has in store for us. To love thus is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveler who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going. +  +  +  +  +  + "No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast." Throughout the long history of the Church many obstacles have beset the faithful as we now face our own trials brought on by this pandemic of Covid-19. May we be encouraged by the image this Sunday reveals to us, the image of us in the arms of the Good Shepherd.

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Third Sunday of Easter - 2021

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter We are continuing in our Easter celebrations – listening and looking at the gospel accounts of the First Easter. These stories are full of drama and excitement as we watch the people go through a myriad of emotions – from despair, to confusion, to wonder, to illation – and there is a gentle humor in them as well. My favorite Easter story is today's – Luke’s account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Have you ever wondered how you would react if you found yourself in the middle these stories? But you are in the middle of this story – the road to Emmaus – as it continues to unfold for us today. Here, let me show you what I mean: o   Two friends of Jesus plodding down the road of life as it continues to unfold. o   Jesus joins them but they don’t recognize his presence o   They are full of questions about faith in Jesus – is he here, is he gone? o   Jesus takes up the scriptures and begins to teach them. o   Then he breaks bread and distributes it to each of them. o   They recognize his presence and believe. Dear friends, is this not us, right here, right now? Are we not having essentially the same experience? o   Are we not plodding down the road of our lives – moving along to the next place to get to? o   Are we not full of questions about faith, about Jesus – is my religion dead as many say it is? o   Does Jesus not joined us here at table, even though we don’t recognize his presence? o   Does Jesus not take up the scriptures and begin to teach us and answer our questions? o   Does he not break bread and distribute it to each of us? o   Is this not just as real for us now as it was for them? What the disciples experienced was the Eucharist at its first beginnings and as it continues now for us today. The Vatican II document on the liturgy states clearly that when the gospel is proclaimed at Mass, it is Jesus who proclaims and teaches us. It is Jesus who breaks the bread of the Eucharist in the hands of the priest. Constitution On the Sacred Liturgy # 7 Now the question we must ask – o   Are our hearts burning within us as he speaks to us in the liturgy and opens the Scriptures to us? o   Do we now recognize his true presence in the breaking of bread?”

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Second Sunday of Easter - 2021

The Church celebrates Easter Sunday day for a whole week. For the liturgy of the Word, the Gospel texts are taken from all four gospel writers and their accounts of resurrection of Jesus. Following the close of this day, the Easter season will continue for fifty days – ending with the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost. As a preparation for Pentecost, the first reading of the liturgy of the word will be taken from the book of the Acts of Apostles and continue reading through the whole book. Acts of Apostles is the second part of Luke’s gospel. It takes us through the unfolding history of the first generation of the Church. This is our story – it is who we are – where we came from – how we got here and why we have gathered in this way to celebrate the sacred mysteries. There are also a couple other things that make this weekend special. It is Divine Mercy Sunday, established by pope John Paul ll on this day in the year 2000. And on this very Sunday, Pope John XXlll and Pope John Paul ll were canonized, Saints of the Church. I find all this quite significant for us at this time in the history of the Church. It is not uncommon to hear it suggested that the Church is in decline and no longer relevant; that perhaps the Church might even disappear, breaking into fragmented pieces, replaced by rational thought and technology. Added to this, we are in the throws of a world wide pandemic. At a time when people need the support of the Church more than ever, churches are closed or severally limited in their contact with their people. It is because we are surrounded by such a cloud of doubt and uncertainty that this time in Church is so important for us, and why we must make reading the Acts of the Apostles a central part of our personal faith life, just as the Church makes it so in the liturgy of the Word. When we turn to Acts and the story of Pentecost, we quickly see that our Church was not made simply by the design of a group of people, a work of human enterprise. It comes from God and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ followers were not great revolutionaries, rather they were a group of frightened and confused and very ordinary people. They also practiced their faith in a hostile environment, oppression by the Romans and the rejection of their fellow Jews. Then comes Pentecost Day and all is changed in a dramatic moment. On that very First Day, Pentecost Day, Acts shows us clearly, that the Church comes under attack. The joyful and exuberant faith of these Spirit-filled people is written off as nothing more than a product of too much alcohol, they are a bunch of drunks. From that first day up to today, the Church is constantly attacked and discredited. This is our constant history. Acts also shows us how the members of this new Church will be, “a-work-in-progress”, made up of frail humans being, sinners now saved, learning and growing under the constant presence of the Holy Spirit. So here we are today, the latest additions to this long history. I strongly encourage you to take up your scriptures and read and study the book of the Acts of the Apostles. May these Easter days be as powerful days of healing and building of your faith as they were for that first generation of believers, we celebrate through these Easter days.

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Easter Season

These meditations from previous posts focus on the battle with Satan and Jesus' Victory on the Cross. Palm Sunday begins with Meditation 01, then continues through Holy Week - the Easter season begins with 07.

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HOLY WEEK / EASTER MEDITATIONS
Meditation 01	Meditation 05	Meditation 09
Meditation 02	Meditation 06	Meditation 10
Meditation 03	Meditation 07	Meditation 11
Meditation 04	Meditation 08	Meditation 12

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