Reflections on the Sunday Readings

  The other evening as I was writing a reflection for our Prison Ministry, that they were going to be sharing with the prisoners, I noted in my reflection that it addressed not only the Feast of the Ascension but also the readings that would be heard for the coming 7 th Sunday of Easter.      So, this is what I like to call a “hinge sharing.”    The definition of a hinge is- “ a movable mechanism which connects linked objects.” 1     Thus, this “hinge sharing” carries us from the event of the Ascension (i.e., commissioning of the apostles to go into the world and to baptize people in the name of Jesus Christ).   But also, that commission includes a condition given by Jesus, that that the apostles must wait until the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them, so that they will be fully able to fulfill this commission.   Both parts are needed to work together, the Ascension and Pentecost, like hinge, in order for the fullnes...

  “There is a story from the Second World War of a young girl who fled into hiding during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. She found shelter in a cave outside the city. Alone, cut off from everything she knew, she lived there until the end of her life.    Before she died, she scratched words into the wall of that cave: “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.   I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.   I believe in God, even when He is silent.” That is not certainty. That is trust. 1 In the opening of the gospel this weekend, Jesus asks of his disciples (and that includes us)  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”   Not always the easiest of things to do, right?     Even the apostles in the gospel this weekend want details on how everything Jesus is saying is going to unfold.   Thomas, who often desires assurances, wants Jesus to be specific concerning how can the...

Our readings this weekend give us hints of the coming feast of Pentecost.  We see apostle Philip going down to Samaria and through his work and the miracles that he performs the people begin to believe in this Christ that he has come to preach about. They want to be more in union with Christ and so, they ask for the sacrament of baptism.   Their desire for this is contagious and spreads to all the areas around Samaria.  When the church in Jerusalem hears of their enthusiasm and acceptance of Christ, they send Peter and John to them to lay hands upon them so that the Holy Spirit of God, the gift of the Father through the prophecy of Christ, could come down upon them.  Once they received this Spirit, they were empowered then to live out their lives as followers of Christ.  Reflecting on this reading we might ponder, is this the same enthusiasm we experience in sharing our faith with others?                ...

Most of us know the name Helen Keller. What is sometimes forgotten is the moment when her world first opened.                                                                                                                                                    ...

  This Sunday begins the holiest week of our year. During it, we experience through quiet, thoughtful prayer, and attendance at Holy week Services how much and how deep our God is in love with us.          On Palm Sunday, we have two gospels. The first gospel as the mass begins, reflects on Jesus ‘entry into the city of Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover later in that week.  Note that when Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, there are numerous gates by which he can enter it. He enters the city not riding triumphantly on a horse, like a king, but, rather on a donkey, a sign of humility and lowliness.  He chooses to enter the city through what is known as the Sheep gate. This particular gate was where all the lambs and sheep would also be brought through and who were going to be sacrificed later in the week during the Passover festivities.  So, the Lamb of God enters along with the other lambs.  So, we might pause at ...