"I had a teacher thought she was a preacher,
Now she's gone away, so very far away,
I was always drunk and I was always up the front,
And now she's gone away, so very far away…"
"…There's only one thing that is clear to me:
I'm not exactly what I used to be.
"Everything is different in the new light,
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
They say that everything would be alright,
So here I am
With all I have,
It's in my voice,
So hear me now
As I sing my choice…
"I didn't know just what it meant to me, yeah,
But truth came rushing up so suddenly…
"I don't want to be the only one
To see things differently,
Open up your eyes,
You'll see with me,
I can't change your mind,
But my voice is all I have,
So hear me…"
"Someday you'll find everything will be alright,
I lost myself just to get what I want again,
Lost myself just to get what I want again!
Someday you'll see everything I left behind,
I lost myself just to get what I want again,
Lost myself just to get, to get what I need…"
"Me say, Why?
Take me back to Africa,
Pretty, pretty Africa,
It is the land of our forefathers,
It is the land where we belong.
"Telling you again what I say.
Me say, Why?
Take me back to Africa,
Pretty, pretty Africa,
It is the land of our forefathers,
It is the land where we belong…"
Friends, in today’s Gospel the risen Jesus appears to seven disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. Jesus rose bodily from the dead. This is the fact—eminently surprising and unexpected—that gives birth to Christianity. The excitement that you can sense on every page of the New Testament comes from this novelty.Video reflection by the Very Reverend Kevin P. Fausz, C.M., V.U.: U. S. C. of Catholic Bishops.
Why did the risen Jesus appear only to a few? Why didn’t he make himself readily apparent to anyone who wanted to see? Cardinal Newman commented on this. If Jesus had appeared publicly and indiscriminately to all, the power of the Resurrection would have been lessened. Some would believe; others wouldn’t. Some would get it; others wouldn’t. Some would be fascinated; others indifferent.
Instead, he deigned to appear to a small coterie of dedicated disciples who knew him, loved him, understood him—confident that they would be the effective bearers of his message. We are those now who eat and drink with him after his Resurrection. And so we have a commission to announce this Good News.
As charcoal to hot embers & wood to fire,Papal Quote o' the Day
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
"Every believer ought to be an active member of the Church. Every Catholic lay person is invested with the right & has the duty to work in order to testify to & spread the Kingdom of God."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"You are wrong to find fault with this thing & with that, or to try & make everyone see things as you see them. We desire to be as little children & little children do not know what is best: to them all seems right."Commentary: I disagree utterly with this quote, but include it here because St. Thérèse is a Doctor of the Church & I am not; so, though I am confident she is wrong, I hope & pray the Lord will show me the sense in what seems to me nonsense & will show me just how wrong I am.
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"If there was one dominant characteristic about St. Peter, it was that he hated discipline, mortification, & self-denial. He's just like the rest of us. He wanted to lay hold of the immediate & that which is joyful, but he did not want to have anything really crucial in his life. That is evidenced first of all on the Mount of the Transfiguration. Here our Blessed Lord revealed Himself in His risen glory when His face shone as the sun & His garments were as white as snow. While He was in this state, Moses and Elijah appeared. And what did our Lord talk to them about? His death. Peter all the while was asleep in a trance, & when he became conscious of the transfiguration, his first thought was: 'Lord it's wonderful to be here.' Let's capture this glow. This is the kingdom of God. The gospel says, 'He did not know what he was saying.' So our Lord later took him down the mountain where there was the father with the demonic child. Peter was to go to still another mountain, & only after climbing that mountain—Calvary—would he ever understand the glory that came after another, & very different, kind of transfiguration at Calvary. So Peter did not understand suffering."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979
Friends, in today’s Gospel the risen Jesus appears to his eleven disciples. They were understandably terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus is quick to disabuse them of this notion: "Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
While they were still amazed and incredulous for joy, he stunned them further, saying, "Have you anything here to eat?" With that, they gave him a piece of baked fish, which he ate in their presence.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus—as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep—is the great sign that heaven and earth are coming together. A body that can be touched and that can consume baked fish has found its way into the realm of heaven.
What does this mean? It means that bodies are not finally alien to God. We have indeed an Advocate in the heavenly places. Were the Resurrection a convenient story or a clever myth, the two realms of heaven and earth would be as separate as ever.
"The dynamism of new life is at work throughout history in apostolic service & in the mandate to pass on the Gospel. In order to touch everyone's heart it must be translated into understandable & easily accessible language."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul Ii the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Do all in your power to detach your heart from earthly cares… then be assured Our Lord will do the rest."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Look into your own heart. I've looked into mine. I've had a great deal of suffering in the eighty-three years of my life—physical suffering & other suffering. It should never have happened, & it has lasted for many years. Yet, as I look back, I know very well that I have never received the punishment that I deserved. God has been easy with me. He has not laid on me burdens that were equal to my failures. If we look into our own souls, I think that we will also come to the same conclusion, for God speaks to us in various ways. As C. S. Lewis put it, 'God whispers to us in our pleasures, he speaks to us in our conscience, and he shouts to us in our pain.' Pain is God's megaphone. And unlike the ripples that are made in a brook or that you see when you throw a stone in a pond, the ripples of pain, instead of going out to distant shores, narrow & narrow & come to a central point where there is less of the outside of the circle & more of the center. Not the ego, but the real person & the real self. And one begins to find oneself alone with God. That is what happens in pain."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"When reggae music is live and direct,
Peace and love is in full effect,
So treat your fellow human with respect,
And every little thing's gonna be alright…"
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus enlightens the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Have you ever tried to solve a puzzle and then were surprised when the various pieces suddenly fell into place? Well, this is what happens to these disciples as Jesus begins to speak: "How slow you are to believe all that the prophets have announced! Did not the Messiah have to undergo all this so as to enter into his glory?" The whole of Christianity is hanging here in the balance.Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The disciples didn’t get it at first. They didn’t get the secret, the mystery, the key, the pattern. And what was that? God’s self-emptying love, even unto death. God’s act of taking upon himself the sins of the world in order to take them away, the mystery of redemption through suffering.
Jesus explains this first, with reference to the prophets; but then, he makes it as vividly present to them as he can: "He took the bread, pronounced the blessing, then broke the bread and began to distribute it to them." And that’s when the piece fell into place—that’s when the puzzle was solved. The Eucharist made present this love unto death, this love that is more powerful than sin and death. The Eucharist is the key.
"Let no one in your land be at ease while there is anyone whose human & Christian dignity is not respected & loved. This is true whether that person is a man, a woman, a child, an elderly or sick person, or any child of God!"Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"You came into this land of exile, willing to suffer & to die, in order to carry away every single soul & plunge it into the very heart of the Trinity—love's eternal home."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"What answer can we give or what consolation to someone in a concentration camp, to a mother with several children dying of cancer, a bereavement-what solace do we bring? What is the answer to the problem of evil? There was no answer until the Lord came down from heaven. He broke through this world of sin & evil; He entered into it & made it a part of Himself. He identified Himself with evil. Sinless, He was nevertheless made sin.
A Nazi guard during the Nuremburg Trial said that he was sent in to burn hundreds of Jewish bodies, all naked & dead. When he went to set the fire, he saw in their midst one body clothed, that of a young girl of about eighteen. 'Who are you?'
'I am a Jewess from Salonika.'
'What are you doing here?'
She said, 'Did you think that I could live when my people are dying?' So this is the only answer that there is to the problem of evil. There's no other. Our Lord took it upon Himself."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"Turn off the idiot box! Hey!Mr. Magoo,
It's a disease just like the chicken pox! Now
Turn off the idiot box! Now!
"Find yourself a partner,
Turn off the television,
Don't let it control your mind!
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, I've got something to say,
(Nobody knows, nobody knows)
Get off your butt, get up, go out and play,
(Nobody knows, nobody knows)
Sitting in my living room with nothing left to do,
I think I'm going blind watching
Friends, today’s Gospel reveals St. John’s report of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus. An interesting lesson follows from the disquieting fact of the Resurrection, namely that this world is not it. What I mean is that this world is not all that there is. We live our lives with the reasonable assumption that the natural world as we’ve come to know it is the final framework of our lives and activities. And one of the most powerful and frightening features of the natural world is death. Every living thing dies and stays dead.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
But what if death and dissolution did not have the final say? What if, through God’s power, and according to his providence, a "new heavens and a new earth" were being born? The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows as definitively as possible that God is up to something greater than we had imagined or thought possible.
And therefore we don’t have to live as though death were our master. In light of the Resurrection, we can begin to see this world as a place of gestation, a place of growth and maturation toward something higher, more permanent, and more splendid.
"All the pure in heart are, in a certain sense, mystics, because, as Christ proclaimed, they are condidates to 'see God.' But they should all be pure in heart, all good, simple, & childlike. We should all be able to want, be able to yearn, be able to receive."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"I would like to love Jesus so much… to love Him more than He has ever been loved! My only desire is to always do the will of Jesus!"Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Someone gave me a canary to be my companion during a long sickness. If I told that bird, 'You are in this tiny, little cage and you have wings, but this is the right place for you,' I'm sure the bird would be depressed. If, however, the bird could understand, & I said to him, 'You're in the wrong place. You have a gift of song that should mount to the heavens, and you have wings that should fly' the bird would then be happier. So we are unhappy when we are locked in this little cosmos, which could be shattered by a bomb. But if we are told that there is another world, then life becomes a little bit happier."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
Friends, in today’s Gospel Mary Magdalene and the other Mary encounter the risen Jesus. I know that I have harped often on this theme, but I do so only because the Bible harps on it—and also because the culture tends so thoroughly to miss the point. I’m talking about the meaning of Easter. Many people agree with David Cameron, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, who once said that the message of Easter is "kindness, compassion, hard work, and responsibility."Video reflection by Monsignor James Vlaun: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m for all of those things. But so is, I would guess, any decent person from any religious or nonreligious background. Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and fair-minded atheists and agnostics would all sign on for those values.
None of it is getting anywhere near the heart of what Easter really means. What Easter means is that Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed throughout his public life to be speaking and acting in the very person of God, and who was brutally put to death by Roman executioners, rose bodily from the dead. That’s what it’s all about.
"Christians of these last years of the Second Millennium, you have an honorable yet burdensome task. You must be bearers of the Word to those who have lost its full meaning & importance."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"Still God cannot be giving me trials beyond my strength. He gave me the courage to sustain this one."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Have you ever noticed in the Apostles' Creed how quickly we pass over the earthly life of our Lord? Born, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, rose from the dead. We say nothing about the beatitudes, nothing about miracles. Just He was born, suffered, died, & rose again. Just those three. That's all there is in life. We're born; the earthly life is passed over, because all that matters concerning an earthly life is whether we are doing the will of God. And then, resurrection. First, we are born to Christ in baptism. Remember that our Lord was born into a sinful, sorrowful humanity. If we follow Him as a rule of life, we are born into that kind of a world: the poor, the afflicted, the sick, the ignorant. That is why Jesus' birth was in a stable. He identified with the poor. Here is the second great commandment: love your neighbor. The fundamental reason for loving our neighbor is because we're born into the same humanity that our Lord was born into, & we must help redeem it. Second, He suffered & was crucified. We suffer. Our Lord said, 'In this world you will have tribulation.' We are given crosses. We bear the cross for Him & with Him, recalling always what He did for us. And finally, He rose from the dead. Scripture says of our Blessed Lord, 'having joy set before Him, He endured the cross.' That means that in any kind of trial which we have, there should be a hidden gladness. Why? Because we're assured of the resurrection. Even though God does send us some kind of trial, if we've borne His cross, we can be absolutely sure of the crown."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
"The stars predict that tomorrow you'll wake up to a bunch of stuff
And then go back to sleep…"
"I pray this mission can still use me…."
Friends, how wonderful are the readings for the Easter season! So full of theological depth, so spiritually rich, so marked by joy.Video reflection by Marc DelMonico, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In light of the Resurrection, we know that God’s deepest intention for us is life, and life to the full. He wants death not to have the final word; he wants a renewal of the heavens and the earth.
Therefore, we have to stop living in the intellectual and spiritual space of death. We have to stop living intellectually in a world dominated by death and the fear of death. We have to adjust our attitudes in order to respond properly to what God really intends for us and the world.
Though we rarely admit it, we live in a death-haunted space. The fear of death broods over us like a cloud and conditions all of our thoughts and actions. What if we really believed, deep down, that death did not have the final word? Would we live in such fear, in such a cramped spiritual space? Or would we see that the protection of our egos is not the number one concern of our existence?
Reflect: When you think of your own death, what do you fear? How can belief in the Resurrection mollify those fears?
"The readings in the Paschal Vigil carry us into the mysterious arena where human sin meets God's justice & mercy. There life & death 'have contended,' & there the victory of the risen Christ over death stands out as the source of our salvation & the model of Christian living."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"It is true that His Cross has been with me from the cradle, but for that Cross He has given me a passionate love."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"It is common for a creature in one stage of its existence to have a capacity for passing into a higher stage. But it is unusual for a creature to have a capacity which can be developed only by some agency outside of it & adapted to it. It is in this condition that man is born of his human parents. He is born with the capacity for life higher than that which he lives as an animal in this world. There is in him a capacity for becoming something different & higher. That capacity lies dormant & dead until the Holy Spirit comes & quickens it. The influence has to come from without. There must be the efficient touch of the Holy Spirit, the impartation of his life. The capacity to be a child of God is man's, but the development of this lies with God. We have to be quickened from without. We cannot give physical birth to ourselves, & we cannot give divine birth to ourselves."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
Friends, our Gospel today is John’s great account of the Passion of Jesus. The ultimate good—God incarnate—appeared, and we collectively responded not with exultation but with murderous violence. On Calvary, the Author of life was crucified and killed.Video reflection by Deacon Bernard Nojadera: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The crucifixion is the fullest expression of the divine anger at sin. We are meant to see on that cross not simply a violent display but rather our own ugliness. What brought Jesus to the cross? Stupidity, anger, mistrust, institutional injustice, betrayal of friends, denial, unspeakable cruelty, scapegoating, and fear.
But in the brutality of the cross we also see the fullest expression of the divine solidarity with sinners. God himself has come to stand with us in our dysfunction and absorb into his forgiveness all of the deadly sins. Yes, we know, with disquieting certitude, that we are sinners. But, with Paul, we willingly boast of our weakness, for we know with equal clarity that we are redeemed sinners.
Reflect: As you look at the Crucifix today, what do you see and what do you believe?
Today is the day that Love made history. After living on this earth for thirty-three years, preaching the Gospel, and performing many great miracles, Christ performed the ultimate act of love and died on the cross for us. He freely chose to be humiliated, violated, and sacrificed for our sake. Who else would do that for us?Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 89
In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter states that “Jesus [was] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” His death was no accident, and so much was at stake. God knew that the only way to bring His people back to Him would be through His son’s sacrifice. It’s hard to fathom this kind of sacrificial love, but this is the love that God freely pours out to each one of us. Would you do the same for the ones you love?
Today, do the Stations of the Cross and commemorate Christ's Passion. Let us look to the Cross and adore the one who is hung on it. Let us praise our Lord for loving us the way no one else can, for truly caring about us and redeeming us from our sins. Because of Him, we are one with God again and will one day be united with Him for all eternity in Heaven.
"The journey also brings sacrifices, but these must not stop us. Jesus is on the Cross: you want to kiss Him? You cannot help bending over the Cross & letting yourself be pricked by some thorns of the crown that is on the Lord's head."Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope Venerable John Paul I (1912-1978)
"It is true, you are the Mother of Jesus, but you have given Him to me; & He, from the Cross, has given you to be our Mother—thus we are richer than you!"Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Imagine a judge having before him his own son who committed murder. He killed a boy. Now there's no doubt whatever of the son's guilt. The father-judge, bound to execute justice, sentences his son to death. That is justice. Then he says to the son, 'Now I will take your place, I will die for you.' That would be mercy. But that is not the complete picture. Suppose that at the moment the son was sentenced to death, the boy that the son had murdered walked in alive. The son would say, 'How can you condemn me for murder? You said I killed this boy? You see, he's alive. I'm innocent, I should be free.' That's precisely the condition that we are in. We were guilty of sin but our Lord rose from the dead, took our guilt upon Himself, & washed it away. Now we can say, 'See, He's alive, He's not dead. I'm free.' So that's why He came."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
Friends, today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ inaugural address in his hometown synagogue. Jesus reads words from the prophet Isaiah that he felt best summed up who he was and what his mission was. Therefore, it behooves us to listen carefully.Ruach Yahweh, the breath of God, the spirit that hovered over the surface of the waters at the beginning of time, the life energy of God—this is what has seized and animated Jesus.
Jesus first says, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me." The
“He loved His own in the world and He loved them to the end” (John, 13:1). Oftentimes this statement is overlooked. This beautiful, profound quote is in reference to the incredible mystery of Christ’s divinity being fully Man and fully God. Like us, Jesus had friends and family who He loved dearly. Despite the fact that most would abandon Him during His Passion, He still cared for each of them. Knowing that He was going to die and they would watch, truly broke His heart. They were His friends; He didn’t want them to suffer, but He knew it would happen. So, He washed the Apostles’ feet and commanded them to do the same to others. He wanted them to know that He served out of love and He desired them to follow His example and do the same.Video reflection by the Reverend Daniel Merz: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
We may never understand the magnitude of Christ’s love for us. It is unlike any other love on earth and goes beyond our human comprehension.We are His own in the world. He loves us to the end. Despite how many times we’ve sinned or betrayed Him, we are still loved and seen as His priceless sons and daughters. Jesus gave up everything for you and me. He held nothing back. Why do we do the opposite?
We are about to enter the Triduum; the final three days of Lent. In these final days, let us look to Christ and hold nothing back. As we await in the darkness, let us remain awake and journey with Christ as He begins to prepare for His passion, death and resurrection. Let us pursue lives of love and sacrifice as He did and think of ways we can honor and glorify Him in our own lives. Today, think of one thing you can do to change someone else’s life. It doesn’t have to be anything too extraordinary. The smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest impacts. Jesus washed our feet as a servant, so let us in turn wash one another’s feet.
"With the institution of the Eucharist, we enter into the very heart of humanity's drama. Will it be life directed toward death, or life open to eternity!"Little Flower Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, feast day: 22 October)
"O Jesus, I know it, love is repaid by love alone, & so I searched & I found the way to solace my heart by giving you Love for Love."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"In the course of my life I have dealt with all kinds of people, with those who have been sinners & returned to the Lord & suffered much & had an indescribable joy. One of the most joyful figures I ever met in my life was a leper woman in Jamaica. She had lost her arms & half of her legs, but she was always smiling & happy & saying, 'But there's going to be a resurrection, & I will then have a glorified body.' That must be our attitude."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
