Feast of St. Catherine of Siena

Eternal God, You are my Creator, and I am the work of Your hands.  In the blood of Your Son You have created me anew; remade by Him, I am Your beloved.  Eternal God, limitless and deeper than the sea, what more can You give me than Yourself?  An ever-burning fire, You burn away my soul’s self-love.  You are the fire that takes away all cold.  Your light enables me to know all truth.  Your light is above all light, enlightening my mind, making the light of faith clear, perfecting it so I may see my own soul alive, and in this light I receive You – the true Light.
                        ~St. Catherine of Siena

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John 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Refection: How do I find peace and truth in the gospel just read? 

Do I think about eternal life as a way to everlasting life? 

We have all lost someone in our life that we loved and so want to see again, does the gospel today give you that encouragement?

Mary Magdalene and the tomb.

The Gospel for Today

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guards went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

Refection: How do we, in our daily life, proclaim this risen Lord to our friends?

We see it this gospel lived out in so many ways, especially during this Coronavirus pandemic.

Look around; see how our first responders capture the message of the resurrection each time they respond to the needs of others. As they go out among the people of God, they announce by the very presents they are here to bring hope and love! We need to continue to pray for our fire, police, doctors, nurses, grocery workers, mail carriers. They bring Jesus to whomever they minister to on a daily bases, no matter what the cost.

East Sunday Mass from Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago, IL

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Easter Sunday 2020 He has Risen! Alleluia!

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John Chapter 20: V 1-9 

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.


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Holy Saturday - It's good to know Jesus!

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For you to think about................

For you to think about.....

While I shelter in place, I invite you to ask yourself the same questions below.

Here they are:

What is God doing within my life?
What am I grateful for today?
Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
What expectations of "normal" am I letting go of today?
How am I getting outside today?
How am I moving my body today?
What beauty am I creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 26,14-25.

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near; in your house, I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."

The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve.

And while they were eating, he said, "Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."

Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, "Surely it is not I, Lord?"

He said in reply, "He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.

The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born."

Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He answered, "You have said so."

Say This Prayer During Pandemic | Supreme Chaplain, Archbishop William Lori

Monday of Holy Week

Monday of Holy Week

God of Glory, help me to serve Your people for the sake of love – not for my own benefit.  When I dig into my pocket to help those in need, let me do it quietly and without show.  When I reach out a helping hand to someone in need, help me to not expect something in return.  Be with me as I help those in need – and help me remember that You are the ultimate judge of character.  Amen. 

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John 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?”

He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.

Refection question: How do I treat the poor or for those who are in need?

Prayers: 

Let us pray for the World and all its leaders.
Let us pray for all our first responders on the front lines.
Let us pray for those who are dying from the Coronavirus and for those who died.
Let us pray for those who are grieving.

Palm Sunday Reflection | 04.05.20

Saturday April 4, 2020

FIFTH WEEK OF LENT

JOHN 11:45-56

Friends, in today’s Gospel the chief priests and Pharisees,  unite in a plot to kill Jesus because he raised Lazarus  from the dead. The Crucifixion of Jesus is a classic instance  of René Girard’s scapegoating theory. He held  that a society, large or small, that finds itself in  conflict comes together through a common act  of blaming an individual or group purportedly  responsible for the conflict. It is utterly consistent with the Girardian theory  that Caiaphas, the leading religious figure of the  time, said to his colleagues, "It is better for you  that one man should die instead of the people,  so that the whole nation may not perish." In any other religious context, this sort of  rationalization would be validated. But in the  Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, this stunning  truth is revealed: God is not on the side of the  scapegoaters, but rather on the side of the  scapegoated victim.The true God does not  sanction a community  created through violence; rather, he sanctions  what Jesus called the kingdom of God, a society  grounded in forgiveness, love, and identification  with the victim. Reflect: How did the Resurrection turn the  scapegoating that Caiaphas supported into the  key to our salvation?