Claire Smith

Scripture:

1 John 1:5-2:2
Matthew 11:25-30

Reflection:

“Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light.
Don’t look at your weaknesses. Realize instead that in Christ crucified you
can do everything.”      – Saint Catherine of Siena

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of one of the few women Doctors of the Church, Catherine of Siena. Her influence on Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon, France was Divine intervention only because she listened to God with deep love and was open to the Holy Spirit.

The above quote from Saint Catherine of Siena goes so well with the readings for today. It is also relevant for our present situation in our country and world. It challenges us to be the one who “drives our darkness and spread light”. It challenges us to be the ones who bring light to those around us. A smile, a small act of kindness or a gentle word. As humans we tend to look at our shortcomings when God has actually given us many gifts and talents. When we focus on these we become so much stronger.

How will I bring the Light of Christ to others today?

In the first reading the author of the Letter of John speaks of God being light and if we are walking in the light then we have all that we need. If we walk in darkness then we walk in sin and lies. The author reminds us that our sins are forgiven through Jesus’ offering of his own Blood. During this time of Easter it is easier to choose the light and bask in the Resurrection of Christ knowing that we have eternal life. The challenge is when the joy of Easter begins to fade and we return to old habits or move back into our comfort zone. Easter is about new life and living in that life. Just as a butterfly cannot return to the cocoon so we must not return to old habits that we worked to change over Lent.

How am I celebrating my new life in the Resurrected Christ?

Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 5:12-16
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31

Reflection:

Jesus said to him, (Thomas) “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

For the past nine months I have had the privilege to accompany our RCIA neophytes on the path to the Easter sacraments we celebrated last Saturday evening.  Wow!  What a gift it has been!

We all have ‘Thomas’ days when we believe little and lament a lot.  We live in a culture where ‘seeing is believing’ and nothing else will do.  One of the greatest gifts in ministry over the years has been to walk the journey with others in the RCIA process.  Whenever my faith was lagging, it got a boost every RCIA Thursday when we gathered to learn, share, question and challenge.  It was life-changing for all of us on team and in the parish to watch them grow in faith right before our very eyes!  There is a common adage, ‘there are no atheists in foxholes’.  Well, I’m here to tell you, there aren’t any non-believers in an RCIA community either!

Neophytes may also have their ‘Thomas’ days during this long process, but they are committed for the long haul.  I am sure they were anxious about what the process asks of them, but their tenacity and belief in their call kept all of us on our toes and renewed our FAITH on a regular basis!

Holy Mother Church in her humanness is a mess at times, but celebrating the Easter sacraments with these eight special people has given us a renewed sense of hope that in spite of the messiness, we will be okay. We continue to be nurtured by the faith of our newly baptized and professed and give thanks for their giftedness to us and the entire Church.  Happy Easter Season and remember:

JESUS is ALIVE!!!!!ALLEULUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA

Theresa Secord is a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Acts 4:13-21
Mark 16:9-15

Reflection:

“After this, he appeared in another form to two of them…”

Faith came no easier for first century Christians than it does for us today. No matter how many times the Eleven were told by disciples that they had seen the Risen Lord, they refused to accept their testimony. Jesus finally appears to the Eleven and strongly rebukes them for their “unbelief” and “hardness of heart.”

In this longer addition to the his gospel (Mk 16:9-20,) Mark reports that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. But then, the evangelist adds a curious observation: “After this, he appeared in another form to two of them…” What does Mark mean by “another form?” We need to recall that even those who saw the Risen Jesus did not recognize him at first. Somehow, the risen body of Jesus is such that he is not recognized until he makes himself known.

To Mary Magdalene, in her profound grief and loneliness as she searches for the body of Jesus in the garden, she recognizes the Risen Jesus at the moment he calls her by name.

To the two disciples, running away from Jerusalem and into the despair of Emmaus, it is at the moment when the stranger breaks bread with them that they recognize the Risen Jesus.

To the Eleven, including Thomas, in their woundedness, no longer whole and complete, no longer “The Twelve,” it is at the moment when Jesus shows them his wounds that they recognize him.

To Peter, who after the crucifixion returned to his old ways as a fisherman, followed the instruction of a stranger on shore on where to cast his nets, and at the moment he caught a miraculous number of fish, he recognized the Risen Jesus.

We are able to recognize the Risen Jesus, it seems clear by now, most often in the midst of our deepest need, where we are most broken.

But not always. Sometimes we are challenged to believe in the Risen Jesus even when we are unable to recognize him at all. In the older, shorter version of Mark’s gospel — that is, the version that does not include today’s reading, 16:9-20 — the women fled from the tomb in terror, even though they were told by the young man dressed in white, that the tomb was empty; Jesus had risen. This ending is abrupt, sudden, open-ended. Mark is reminding us there will be times when we will be called to believe in sheer and radical faith, even without the consolation of a resurrection appearance.

To the Risen Lord, however, it doesn’t matter how strong, how tentative, how shaky our faith may be. He has a commission for us. Just as Mark’s gospel began with the message that it would proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to us, so now here at the gospel’s conclusion comes the Risen Lord’s charge to us. We are to proclaim the Good News of the Paschal Mystery to others. And how will others recognize the Risen Jesus? By our wounds, the wounds of the Body of Christ.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Easter Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Colossians 3:1-4 o r1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
John 20:1-9 or Luke 24:1-12

Reflection:

I’m writing this reflection for Easter a day after the fire that destroyed a great part of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was put out. As many of us saw videos and pictures of the fire, we watched with sadness and the recognition of what impact this event would have on France and the Church and the entire world. But our hearts were lifted when we witnessed the efforts of fire fighters and so many others to save as much of the cathedral and the priceless artifacts within as they did. Even though it may take many years, there doesn’t seem to be any doubt that the church will be rebuilt.

When I see so many people come together at times like these, to help people after some disaster or tragedy, I cannot help but think, “Here is the hope that is Easter.” And that is why the question the angels put to the women who discover the empty tomb of Jesus hits me so hard. In the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil from Luke, several women “who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” When they get there, they find the stone has been rolled away, and the tomb empty. And then they see two angels who ask: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee…”

The reason this question hits me so hard is because we know what incredible things can happen when people come together and work for the benefit of others, and yet we can still think that living in terms of “us” and “them” can bring life! Why do we still seek life among the attitudes and practices that bring death? We can still be so easily seduced into thinking that the point of life is to have as many “things” as we can, to the point of seeing everything and even everyone in terms of how they can satisfy our desires. Sometimes we can get so greedy, that all we can see is the bottom line, and how much profit we can make right now, ignoring the short and long-term consequences of our actions to those in need and to the health of the environment. Or sometimes we can let fear convince us that the only way we can guarantee life for ourselves is to deny life to others, or make sure that they are imprisoned, or held down, or shut out. Or do we think we find life in putting down others, or casting ourselves as better than “they?”

So, for me, when I see the angels’ question in these terms, Easter does not only bring me joy and assurance of God’s faithfulness, it presents me with a challenge. The Resurrection of Jesus challenges me to trust in the living wisdom of the Gospel, not the dead fears and prejudices of the world. Easter challenges us to work in hope for a better world. Easter challenges us to choose life!

And so when we work for justice and peace, we are working as an “Alleluia” people. When we are in solidarity with Muslims whose mosques are destroyed, or Jews whose synagogues are defaced, or churches that have been burned down because the congregations are African-American, we are working as an Easter people. When we look for ways to come together and solve problems as a community, we are living in the hope of Easter. We are not seeking the living among the dead, but rather look to what we know can happen when people from all circumstances and experiences see a common need.

If I truly believe Jesus has risen, I will follow Him in love and in life. Just as He rose from the dead, Jesus has lifted me up more times than I can count, and He calls me, in hope and in joy, to help lift others up. Happy Easter!

Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Community in Detroit, Michigan. 

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Scripture:

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

Reflection:

The “Memoria Pasionis” by Fr. Clemente Barrón, CP

Today,
Unconditional Love
takes on
Unbearable Suffering.

Today,
Absolute fidelity
is entrapped by
Shameless betrayal.

Today,
Total Innocence
is convicted by
Willful Injustice.

Today,
Unembellished Truth
is denied by
Malicious Lies.

Today,
Tender Mercy
is cast aside by
Deliberate Wrong-doing.

Today,
The Light Divine
is eclipsed
The darkness of evil.

Today,
Eternal Life
experiences
Undeniable Death.

Today,
A mother’s joy
is overwhelmed by
A mother’s broken heart.

Today,
The Word
was buried in
Absolute Silence

Today,
Good Friday, 2019
remembers
The First Good Friday.

Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California. 

Scripture:

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-15

Reflection:

I have given you a model to follow, as I have done…so you also must do…

 In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us of the words that Jesus shared at the Last Supper, this is my body that is for you…do this in remembrance of me…this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood…drink it in remembrance of me.  Familiar words to us, we hear them every time we participate in the Eucharist.  But this night, we hear even more!  If you are going to share in my body and blood, there is more you must do.  We too have to get up from the table, remove our outer garments and tie a towel around our waist, bend down and wash the feet of those we journey with.

What outer garment do we take off?  The garment of prejudice, bias, judgment; the garment of pride, ego and superiority; the cloak of indignity, inequality and insecurity; the cloak of power and control?  The garment we take off may change with each passing day, some will be harder that others to remove, but because we have shared in the body and blood, we will find the strength and the ability to remove the outer garment, once removed, we are then able to bend down, and gaze loving eyes on the other and wash feet.  We may also discover that we are able to allow the other to wash our feet!

Without the burden of the ‘cloak’ we are able to truly live in the freedom of the children of God – free from all that weighs us down and open to new life in the spirit of the resurrection.

Faith Offman is the Associate Director of Ministry at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan.