Part of the first reading from Acts that we don’t hear is a vision Peter has, in which God tells him that all foods are OK to eat; no longer are some unclean.  He later realizes that the vision was a symbol that all people are “clean,” Gentiles as well as Jews.  Not all of the early Christians understood.  The Jewish Christians were shocked that the Holy Spirit would give gifts, such as speaking in tongues, to Gentiles.  Especially Gentiles who had not been baptized.

Now the distinction between Gentile and Jewish Christians doesn’t seem very important today.  But we still need to follow St. Peter’s example of sharing our faith in Jesus.  Does that mean we should drag any non-believers we meet to church on Sunday?  Should we brag about how much we love God?

Today’s gospel gives us a hint at what we can do to bring others to Christ.  Jesus makes it sound simple: Love one another as I love you. (Jn 15:12)  The second reading from John tells us that love is not people loving God; it’s that God loved us first, enough to send his Son to die for us.  We may think that we have chosen to love and follow Jesus, but as the gospel tells us, Jesus chose us before we ever chose him.  So maybe that part about loving others as Jesus loves us is this: are we willing to love others without requiring that they love us first?

How can we do that?  I can introduce myself to someone new to the parish that I see in church.  I can offer to help the poor without waiting for the pastor to beg.  I can make a priority of seeing what I can do for others, instead of what they can do for me.  Perhaps part of our daily prayer can be asking God to show us who needs our love today.

Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications

Sixth Sunday of Easter | USCCB

The beauty of this Easter season is that the Word became flesh, died for our sins, conquered death, and gives us access to the Father. Each of these remarkable events point to the fact that our faith is real, tangible, even corporeal. Though we all have a personal relationship with God in the very depths of our hearts, as human beings, we are meant to share our hearts with the world. In other words, we should not be keeping our faith in our hearts but bringing it to the world.

The second reading for today reminds us of this fact when it says, “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” It seems that it is not enough to simply think about or talk about God, but our interior faith must be reflected by deeds.

The second reading seems to be telling us that a private faith is not enough. Our actions should flow from the faith we have that we have been made in the image and likeness of God. Sometimes we can think because faith is so personal, it does not need to be shared. I know I have had the mindset at times that as long as I am in good relationship with God I am doing just fine. But the Gospel implores us to share. Jesus commands the disciples to go to the ends of the earth to preach the Gospel.

We might take the approach that we can be an example and hope that people will see the way we live and make the connection to our Christian faith, but at some point, we are called to act in love. Jesus wants us to talk about him, to serve, to forgive, to feed the poor. After all, he died not only so we could personally believe, but so that all men could be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.

This Easter season is a perfect time to reflect on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Maybe hang a list of them somewhere so they will be a constant reminder to act. Faith is the supernatural virtue where we come to believe, but this belief is so profound and tangible that it can’t help but be shared. Let’s take a word from the end of every Mass, go in peace to love and SERVE the Lord.

Tommy Shultz, Diocesan Publications

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042824.cfm

We celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday.  It is a day when we reflect upon the tender image of Jesus as the Shepherd of us all. It is also a day set aside to pray for more shepherds within our Church who will shepherd God’s flock with the Heart of Christ.

Our Gospel today is Jesus’ commentary upon the actions of the Pharisees in contrast to His own. The Pharisees, as religious leaders, were not shepherds. They were “thieves and robbers” who came to “steal and slaughter and destroy.” Jesus, however, came so that those who listened to His voice “might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Though God shepherds us today through His sacred pastors, we are all called to participate in this shepherding of the Good Shepherd in our own unique way.  We are called to lead those within our families, at work, at school, within our neighborhoods, social circles and in every other societal context.  But too often we imitate these Pharisees by allowing our own selfishness and desire for self-importance to interfere with our ability to put others first and love them with the Shepherd’s heart.

Reflect, today, upon the calling you have received to lay down your life for others in imitation of the Good Shepherd.  In order to imitate this love in the Heart of Christ, we must love without seeking love in return.  Laying our lives down is an act of sacrificial love that enables us to look only at the needs of those around us.  Pride and selfishness must disappear, and the good of the other must become our only goal.  Reflect upon how well you do this and pray that the Good Shepherd will use you to shepherd those in your life who need it the most.

Fourth Sunday of Easter | USCCB

Peter seems to be pretty tough with his listeners in the first reading. He practically says they handed Jesus over, denied him before Pilate, asked for a murderer to be released in his place, and put Jesus to death. They must have thought they were doomed. But then he tells them that God had planned all this long ago. So is he saying Jesus’ death is their fault, or just fate?

The answer of course is that it’s everyone’s fault. We deny Jesus when we choose to be selfish instead of loving. We crucify Jesus when we follow the crowd instead of following the Lord. It is only “fate” in the sense that our sins needed to be forgiven and God plan’s for salvation was through Jesus’ death and resurrection. There were sinners long before Jesus’ time and God knew there would be sinners after that. Jesus rose from the dead to show that God’s forgiveness raises us up from guilt to a new life.

So Peter wasn’t laying a guilt trip on the listeners: this is good news. God planned all this to show how much he loved us. Our response should be one of joy that we are forgiven because of that love. All we have to do is tell God we are sorry, mean it, and start living our response of love. Sins may be our fault, but Love is our fate.

Tom Schmidt, Diocesean Publications.

Third Sunday of Easter | USCCB

Jesus gives us a commandment and a promise.

Stay with Me and live in accord with what I have taught you.

I will send you help, the Advocate.

You will see Me through Him.  You will experience Me through Him.

When you see me,  you will have life and realize the love of God in your life.

The Spirit comes to us again on Pentecost, only a few weeks away.

Are you ready?

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051423.cfm

Jesus said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Jesus is the way we see God.

He encourages us to stop looking elsewhere for what we need, or need to know.

He passes on to us the power of His spirit.

Are we ready to follow His words and do the works that He has shown us how to do?

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050723.cfm

Jesus offers us life and not a scattered existence.

He is willing to lead us if we are willing to follow.

There are so many ideas and individuals who would lead us astray.

Jesus tells us to keep our eyes and ears on Him and He will take us through the right gate.

We know who He is.

Why would we follow someone or something else?

Readings: Fourth Sunday of Easter | USCCB

The two disciples had every reason and opportunity to see that it was Jesus walking beside them.

They knew that the tomb was empty and the women who had discovered it had relayed what the angel had told them: Jesus was alive.

Even their midst, the two disciples’ eyes were prevented from recognizing it was Jesus.

What clouds our vision?  It could be fear, doubt, despair, as on that road to Emmaus. Or maybe it is pride or hardness of heart?

Jesus comes to meet us, and we in turn have an opportunity to encounter him in many ways, most particularly in the breaking of the bread – the Eucharist.  No matter how frantic or chaotic our lives may have become, attending Mass serves as an anchor, and a reminder of Jesus’ presence with us every day. 

Readings:  Third Sunday of Easter | USCCB

The apostles saw Jesus again and they believed because they saw Him.

Jesus said:  “Blessed are those who believe and have not seen.”

Let Thomas stand in our place whenever we have doubts about who Jesus is or what he can do.

The peace of Christ will come into our lives if we allow it.

The power of the spirit of Jesus will come into our lives to help us carry on through anything.

Happy Easter, again and again!

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041623.cfm

How do you begin to describe with words the joy in the Resurrection scene? There probably aren’t any ways in spoken language to capture the raw emotion Mary Magdalene must have felt at the sight of the risen Messiah.  Exuberance?  Exhilaration? Jubilation?

And to think, this is God’s free gift to us!  He created us so that we could share this feeling with Him.

Imagine His radiant light, shining warmth, yet cooling peace.  His infinite, abounding love is what we must strive for, today and always!

While this life may be at times filled with sadness, and eventual death, to be born to life with Him for Eternity, we must recognize that today’s world will only exist for a mere instant!

Our choice to participate in Christ’s sweet love will then allow us to take part in such bliss.  The resurrection is the good Lord’s fulfillment to us, and central to our Catholic faith.

As Christ has defeated death and Hell, let us now rise with Him, giving great Glory and Honor forever more!

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040923.cfm

Jesus returned after the resurrection to strengthen and teach the disciples.

As He was about to leave again He reminded them that His words were also the Father’s.

His ministry was truly a divine ministry.

He also promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to help them understand and persevere.

In our liturgical year, we too are once again awaiting the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

What do you need to help develop your understanding and spiritual life?

Readings:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052222.cfm

Jesus gives us this commandment as a benchmark of the Christian life.

It is the exact reflection of all that Jesus did during His time with us on Earth.

It is a simple commandment to remember but sometimes a hard one to live.

This commandment also fulfills much of the essence of the commandments given to Moses.

We now have another mirror to examine our lives.  Will we take a new look?

readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051522.cfm

Jesus affirms his unity with the Father.

His promise of eternal life is grounded in His absolute authority over the universe.

Others will try to snatch His followers away but they will be protected.

Jesus gives assurances to His followers particularly when they are exposed to adversity.

We have the promise.  Will we respond accordingly as His followers?

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050822.cfm

Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection.

He performed miracles and ate with them to prove that it was really Him.

The disciples were pulled from the routine of their daily lives to address the mission for which they were chosen –

to spread the faith and belief in Jesus.

We are called to a similar mission – to reach beyond our routine to announce the good news, even in small ways.

Are you prepared to participate in this mission?

If not, how will you prepare?

Readings:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050122.cfm

Jesus came to the disciples just one day after the resurrection.

He knew that the resurrection was a shock to the belief system, even of the disciples.

His immediate gift was to send the Holy Spirit to reinforce their faith.

Jesus knows our doubts too.  The Spirit will also come to help us to believe the seemingly impossible actions of God.

This period after Easter is a time for us to ponder the meaning of the resurrection to us.

Will we be open to the Spirit’s help to us?

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042422.cfm

There is no information ever recorded that is more important than this fact.

Had Jesus not risen all else would be for naught!

Each of us must make this fact the center of our lives.

James and John saw what happened and they believed.

We must also engage ourselves with the witness of Peter and John.

Easter is a time to rejoice over the fact that saved us.  It is a time to respond in extreme awe and gratitude.

How has the resurrection influenced your life?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041722.cfm

Jesus calls us His friends.

He wants us to be slaves to nothing so that we are truly to love.

His love for us is absolute even to the point of dying for us.

We are His chosen representatives to be His presence in this world.

He asks us to continue to spread His message.

Are you ready to give up much in order to do this?

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050921.cfm

Notice how everything Jesus says is devoted to us.

We are the branches, intimately connected to Him.

He encourages us to “stick with Him” in all things, even if it may be difficult at times as we are pruned.

We can ask for what we need to remain close to Him and He will provide it for us.

What do we need to remain close to Jesus?

Readings:  https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050221.cfm

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
He did lay down His life for us.
Jesus knows each of us and he calls to us.
When we follow Him, we are part of the flock with one Shepherd.
The Father’s love and Jesus’ love come to us in Jesus’ voice.
Can you hear Him?

Jesus appeared to the disciples to strengthen their belief in His resurrection.
Jesus had to “connect the dots” for the disciples who were still trying to sort out what had just happened.
The disciples were present at the crucifixion. Now they saw Him again in person.
It was hard to understand what this meant and what God was doing.
Jesus told them that what was in the scriptures was true. He died to save us.
We were not there. But we now know the story. Are the dots connected for us?

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041821.cfm

Jesus gives us a commandment and a promise.

Stay with Me and live in accord with what I have taught you.

I will send you help, the Advocate.

You will see Me through Him.  You will experience Me through Him.

When you see Me, you will have life and realize the love of God in your life.

The Spirit comes to us again on Pentecost, only a few weeks away.  Are you ready?

Jesus said “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Jesus is the way we see God.

He encourages us to stop looking elsewhere for what we need, or need to know.

He passes on to us the power of His spirit.

Are we ready to follow His words and do the works that He has shown us how to do?

Jesus offers us life and not a scattered existence.

He is willing to lead us if we are willing to follow.

There are so many ideas and individuals who would lead us astray.

Jesus tells us to keep our eyes and ears on Him and He will take us through the right gate.

We know who He is.

Why would we follow someone or something else?