Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? – 1 Corinthians 15:55 The stone blocks the light, deathly dark in the cave. But death cannot hold Him, the Author of all. Angels unbind Him, the Resurrection and Life. Now the stone that once hid Him rolls away that new day! From decay in the tomb to the garden of joy. The stench of the grave meets the fragrant sweet breeze. His…
A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit (Lk 6: 43). What is this “good fruit” that Jesus speaks of in our Gospel this Sunday? Fruits of the Holy Spirit are “perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory…[they are]: ‘charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity’” (CCC 1832). These are most definitely “good fruits.”…
“…my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” – John 6:32-33 God is the giver of all good things: “…all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). The very best gift–the most perfect gift– God the Father gave us was the gift of His Son:…
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. –Acts 2:1-3 Pentecost is the birthday of the Church! “For it was from the side of Christ…
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. – Easter Sequence Alleluia! Jesus is risen! Happy Easter! This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the victory of Jesus over the powers of death. Death seems so frightening and final, like nothing can stop its grip on us. On the surface, seeing only with worldly eyes, it seems like death has the final word. But Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the true victory.…
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. – John 8:12 Jesus loves analogies, similes, and metaphors. He uses these figures of speech to help His listeners–including us–grasp complex and lofty concepts, such as what it means to live in the Kingdom of God and be a Christian disciple. He gives us two metaphors for discipleship in Sunday’s Gospel passage: “You are the salt…
What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:3-5 Merry Christmas! During Advent, we prayed for Jesus, the Light, to come to brighten our world. We prayed to receive the Advent gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love. But we didn’t pray for these for ourselves alone. We prayed to…
Happy Gaudete Sunday! Gaudete means “rejoice” in Latin. We rejoice this week because Jesus is coming soon. We will celebrate that Jesus, the Life (John 14:6), came to us through the Blessed Virgin Mary. We rejoice and thank Mary for her “yes”–her fiat. We rejoice and give thanks to God the Father for giving us the gift of His Son (cf John 3:16). We rejoice in Christ, the Light (John 14:6) who is coming into…
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!- Isaiah 2:5 Advent is a beautiful time of silence, patience, and prayer. We prepare for Christ, the Light (John 8:12), to come to us in the darkness. We prepare for the fullness of life–zoe in Greek–that Jesus, the Life (John 14:6) offers us: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). We light the…
…and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. – Luke 20:36 Being a child of God means that we shall live forever with Him. Those of us who have been baptized have the power to become God’s children (John 1:12). The Lord promised that His children shall have eternal life: “those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead…are…