In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. Ephesians 1:7-8 Stand with me at the foot of the cross, like St. John, St. Mary Magdalen, and the Blessed Mother. See the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God flowing, poured out for us (Matthew 26:28). His blood was shed for us from the moment His Passion began: “And…
In a homily Pope St. John Paul II gave on an apostolic trip to America, he offered this inspiring description of the Eucharist as the fullest expression of God’s love: “The Gospel of God’s love…finds its highest expression in the Eucharist. In the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus Christ.” Take a moment and imagine how this might work: God sends us…
Each of us has a deep longing in our hearts: to love and be loved. Pope Francis said that the ideal of love is “the most authentic desire of our hearts.” The Holy Trinity is love itself: an eternal exchange of love between God the Father and His Beloved Son. The Holy Spirit, “who proceeds from the Father and the Son” (Nicene Creed), is the result of this fruitful and creative love between God the…
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20) This weekend we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. Jesus told the apostles that he would be with them always just before He left them. How is it possible for Him to be both sitting at God’s right hand (Ephesians 1:20) and with us here on earth? How can he remain Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) after His ascension?…
Imagine walking with the two disciples on the way back home to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). It was the day of the Resurrection, a mere three days after Jesus was crucified. He had indeed risen, as He had promised, but these two disciples had already given up hope. They were downcast and they had lost hope. Notice the past tense: “But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel” (21). How strange:…
Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:8-9 Last week we considered how we can come to believe in the Risen Christ without seeing Him face-to-face. Belief should not be limited to our human senses, such as…
…he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see. – John 9:6-7 This Laetare Sunday we rejoice that Easter is quickly approaching. We also rejoice in the fact that Jesus can heal our wounds if we allow Him to, just as…
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”- Luke 23:42 For me, this Bible verse sums up what it means to be a disciple in the Kingdom of Christ: “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:15). This reminds me that Jesus is the Lord of my heart; He reigns there as King. Our solemnity this Sunday is Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. If I want Jesus to be…
I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. – Luke 15:18 Have you ever felt like the prodigal son, far away from home? I have. Like the prodigal son, I had to listen to my conscience and come to my senses (cf. Luke 15:17). I knew I had the open arms of the Church to come home to, and I…
Once you begin to read the Old Testament with the New Testament in mind (and vice versa) you start to see the amazing ways that these two parts of the Bible connect to each other. One way to interpret our first reading, “The Call of Isaiah,” is as a powerful prefigurement of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Isaiah sees the Lord on His throne surrounded by a choir of angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy…