May 20, 2012: The Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 Luke 24:46-53 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In Luke’s Gospel, this scene of Christ’s Ascension takes place immediately after Jesus appeared to His Apostles, showed them His wounds, and ate with them in order to assure them that He was no mere ghost. St. [...]
May 13, 2012: Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 Psalms 98:1-4 First John 4:7-10 John 15:9-17 ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Following Christ is not complicated. In fact, today Jesus reduces the essence of what it means to be His follower into one sentence. This sentence is His New Commandment, a commandment that summarizes everything He has [...]
May 6, 2012: 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 9:26-31 Psalms 22:26-28, 30-32 First John 3:18-24 John 15:1-8 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ History’s greatest leaders influenced people from the outside in. With their speech, their ideas, their example, and even their presence they moved and motivated those around them, drawing others and stirring them to action. Jesus Christ, however, [...]
April 29, 2012: Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 4:8-12 Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 21 First John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18 _______________________________________________________________________________________ The fall of Adam and Eve came about as a result of their lack of trust in God – this was original sin. As the Catechism explains (#397): Man, tempted by the devil, let [...]
April 22, 2012: Third Sunday of Easter Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 Psalms 4:2, 4, 7-9 First John 2:1-5 Luke 24:35-48 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Jesus’ favorite word after His resurrection is “peace.” It is almost always the first word on His lips whenever He appears to His apostles, as in the passage we just listened to: “Peace be with [...]
April 15, 2012: 2nd Sunday of Easter Acts 4:32-35 Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 First John 5:1-6 John 20:19-31 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Eight days ago we and all the rest of the 1.3 billion Catholics throughout the world gazed with wonder and gratitude on the Resurrection of our Lord. Today, we turn our eyes back to the little [...]
April 8, 2012: Easter Sunday Acts 10:34, 37-43 Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On the first day of the week, the third day of His Passion, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Today is His day. Many great historical figures have led exemplary lives, taught wise doctrines, and even died for [...]
April 1, 2012: Passion (Palm) Sunday Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalms 22:8-9, 17-20, 23- Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14–27:66 or 27:11-54 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Today we’re in the middle of a paradox. On the one hand, we’re filled with joy. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, throngs of people rejoice. The promised Savior has finally come! The Messiah is here! Redemption is [...]
March 25, 2012: Fifth Sunday of Lent Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalms 51:3-4, 12-15 Hebrews 5:7-9 John 12:20-33 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ During His public ministry, Jesus had made it clear that one condition for being His follower was bearing the cross. “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross [...]
March 18, 2012: 4th Sunday of Lent Second Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-2 Psalms 137:1-6 Ephesians 2:4-10 John 3:14-21 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ You never really know someone until you know what’s in their heart – what motivates them, what they’re looking for, why they do what they do. In the Gospel passage we just listened to, Jesus lays bare [...]
