From His Word to Our Hearts

We are all called to be disciples of Jesus and that path can lead us in many different directions. Sometimes the way is easy, often it is not; sometimes we receive accolades for our efforts, often we do not; sometimes we earn earthly rewards… some of which are good, some are hard, but often our rewards will not be seen in this life – only in the next. Yet, we are still called… even if we...

This weekend we have a rare Sunday occurrence of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, two very different men both pursuing the same mission… to share their witness of the Risen Christ and spread the Church established by Jesus himself. Peter was a simple fisherman, both imperfect and noble, a man chosen by Jesus to be preeminent among the disciples, yet one who denied even knowing Jesus t...

Jesus fed five thousand men starting with just five common loaves of bread and two fish – everyone present ate their fill with plenty of leftovers – no one can say the God isn’t generous! This miraculous event prefigured the Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper when Jesus gave his Body and Blood as food for eternal life. Saint Paul, though he was not present for that meal...

The Holy Trinity, whose Feast we celebrate this Sunday, is one of the most confounding mysteries that we encounter in the Christian faith. The members of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – are one God and yet three separate persons, they share one divine substance yet are distinct from each other, each person is entirely God but all three are in relation to each other. It is a stunn...

Pentecost celebrates not just the descent of the Holy Spirit, but the birth of the Church as well! Accompanied by the spectacle of a driving wind and tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus to his disciples, descends upon those gathered together in the Upper Room and they are strengthened to preach the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Jesus offers us that same Holy...

This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. There is plenty of evidence for the historical person of Jesus and his Crucifixion is well documented. His Ascension, however, is a private affair and the only invitees are the Apostles – the ones who knew him best in life and so could offer reliable, eyewitness testimony regarding his Ascension. Yet, people still doubt… and that...

Jesus assures us that all promises have their roots in love – love of him and love of the Father. Without that love we often end up breaking many of the promises we make with good intent. We break those promises because we don’t have the strength to keep them without the love God gives us. But with that love we can be at peace, we can learn, we can remember, we can be strong, we can be f...

We are presented with lots of new things this week! A new commandment to love one another, new elders to administer newly established churches, a new heaven and a new earth, a new and eternal Jerusalem, a new order as the former things pass away… yet all these new things still lead us, inevitably, to the one everlasting Kingdom of God. New things mean change and change is hard. New thing...

This Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday which reminds us that not only is Jesus our Good Shepherd, but that we are the precious sheep of his flock. That relationship isn’t just one-way! It’s a real, vibrant, living relationship between each of us and Jesus. Revelation reminds us that our destiny is not in this world, it is in heaven. So, no matter how compelling the circumstances of our live...

Still trying to comprehend the immensity of the Resurrection and uncertain of their next steps, the disciples return to the familiar – fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Yet even there, Jesus finds them! Jesus completes the healing Peter so desperately needs, after his three-fold denial of Jesus, in the place where it all began. When we are afraid or uncertain, we do the same thing, don’t we...

On this Octave Day of Easter, the Second Sunday of the Easter Season, as we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded of the gifts of peace and joy that come only from God through his Son, Jesus. We are told that we are blessed because we did not see the Risen Christ and yet we still believe in him because of the witness of those who did see him. And we are – again – reminded that o...

Happy Easter! Alleluia, let us rejoice and be glad!

We made it through the 40-days of Lent and we now celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus with great joy! Jesus’ Resurrection is the central mystery of our faith and the promise which gives us hope for our own resurrections. Throughout the coming 50-days of the Easter Season, we will – once again – hear the accounts of Jesus’ post-Resurrect...

As we enter into Holy Week on this Palm Sunday, we are given a stark reminder of just what Jesus was forced to endure in a very short period of time. From the heights of acclaim showered upon him during his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to the abysmal depths of betrayal, abuse, torture, suffering, and death just a few days later, Jesus experienced an unimaginable range of human physical...

As we enter into Holy Week on this Palm Sunday, we are given a stark reminder of just what Jesus was forced to endure in a very short period of time. From the heights of acclaim showered upon him during his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to the abysmal depths of betrayal, abuse, torture, suffering, and death just a few days later, Jesus experienced an unimaginable range of human physical...

On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, our readings focus on life and death. From Ezekiel’s prophecy that the Israelites will be raised from their metaphorical tomb to Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from his four-day sleep of literal death in the grave, our understanding of what it means to be fully alive is challenged. And we are reminded that it is never too late to turn away from sin and repent. Go...

On this Laetare Sunday, we cautiously rejoice as we approach the end of the penitential season of Lent and draw nearer to the full joy of Easter. Just as water was woven through last week’s readings, sight and blindness – light and dark – are woven throughout our readings this week. These Scriptures invite us to open our hearts and see with the eyes of faith, to look not at the outward a...

On this Third Sunday of Lent, we are invited to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Water, for us a common everyday item, becomes a source of transformation for the Samaritan woman at the well. The absence of water, something unthinkable for us, becomes the basis of a confrontation among the Israelites in the desert. The gentle movement of water, imagery so familiar to us, becomes a s...

On the Second Sunday of Lent, we always hear the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus as a reminder to us that our time here on earth is fleeting and that our ultimate destiny lies in the kingdom of heaven. But heaven often seems far away and the demands of everyday life are unrelenting. That is precisely why Lent comes around every year! This season teaches us to devote more time and e...

This week we enter into the penitential season of Lent. Each year on the First Sunday of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness precisely because we are all tempted every day! Tempted to rely on ourselves rather than God, tempted to accept the flattery and empty promises of the world, tempted to overindulge ourselves while others go without, tempted by power, pr...